Tom Lantos was a Hungarian-American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from California from 1981 until his death in 2008. He was the only Holocaust survivor to have ever served in the U.S. Congress, making him a powerful voice on human rights issues. Lantos was a liberal Democrat who chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee during his final term. Throughout his career, he co-founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and was a tireless advocate for democracy and freedom around the world.