Thomas Peter Lantos, known as Tom Lantos (born February 1, 1928, in Budapest, Hungary; died February 11, 2008, in Bethesda, Maryland) was a Hungarian-born American politician, economist, and human rights advocate who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from California from 1981 until his death in 2008. Born in Budapest to Jewish parents, he was the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, having survived the Nazi occupation as a teenager by escaping a forced labor camp and joining the Hungarian underground resistance, with help from figures like Raoul Wallenberg. After immigrating to the United States in 1947 on a scholarship, he settled in Seattle and earned a B.A. (1949) and M.A. (1950) in economics from the University of Washington, followed by a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Before entering politics, Lantos worked as an economics professor at San Francisco State University, a business consultant, economist, international trade specialist, and foreign policy commentator. First elected in 1980, he represented California's 12th congressional district (later the 11th district after 1993 redistricting, then the 12th again), which encompassed parts of San Mateo County and southwestern San Francisco. He became a prominent advocate for human rights and international security, co-founding and co-chairing the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in 1983 (later renamed the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission). He chaired the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and served as chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Lantos used his personal experiences as a Holocaust survivor to influence U.S. foreign policy on genocide prevention, democratic movements, religious freedom, and refugee rights, with outspoken criticism of authoritarian regimes like the Soviet Union, China, and Sudan. He was a cosponsor of the Iraq Liberation Act and known for his strong pro-Israel stance, occasionally diverging from Democratic party lines on foreign policy, sometimes drawing criticism for hawkish positions. Lantos married Annette Tilleman in 1950; both had survived the Holocaust separately before meeting in Switzerland. They had two daughters, Annette and Katrina, and several grandchildren, with his daughters continuing his human rights legacy through the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice. Lantos converted from Judaism to Presbyterianism after marriage but maintained strong ties to his Jewish heritage and was active in his church. He died from complications of esophageal cancer in 2008 at age 80. His legacy continues through the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and the Lantos Foundation, with tributes highlighting his role in exposing global oppression, his unwavering commitment to justice, and his recognition through numerous awards for human rights work, including legislation addressing atrocities in Darfur.