Frank R. Lautenberg
Template:TOCnestleft Frank R. Lautenberg was a Democratic member of the United States Senate, representing New Jersey.
Background
Senator Lautenberg was born in Paterson, New Jersey, the son of Polish and Russian immigrants who came to the United States through Ellis Island. His early life was unsettled as his parents moved about a dozen times while struggling to support the family.
Lautenberg's father, Sam, worked in the silk mills, sold coal, farmed and once ran a tavern. When Lautenberg was 19, his father died of cancer. To help his family, he worked nights and weekends until he graduated from Nutley High School.
After graduating from Nutley, Lautenberg enlisted and served in the Army Signal Corps in Europe. Following the war, he attended Columbia University on the G.I. Bill and graduated with a degree in economics.[1]
Career
With his military service completed and his education secured, Lautenberg set out to build a career. He joined with two boyhood friends from his old neighborhood to found the nation's first payroll services company, Automatic Data Processing. Lautenberg served as chairman and CEO, and along with his partners developed ADP into one of the largest computing services company in the world.[2]
Senate
He decided to launch a new career in politics and - running for his first public office - was elected to the Senate in 1982. He was re-elected in 1988 and 1994. After a brief retirement, Sen. Lautenberg won a fourth term in 2002 and was re-elected to a fifth term on November 4, 2008.
Senator Lautenberg serves on three Senate committees: Appropriations; Commerce, Science and Transportation; and Environment and Public Works. He also serves as chairman of two Senate committees, one on the Commerce Committee and the second on Environment and Public Works.[3]
Planned Parenthood
Lautenberg received $1000 in lobbying funds from Planned Parenthood in 2008.
Supported by Council for a Livable World
The Council for a Livable World, founded in 1962 by long-time socialist activist and alleged Soviet agent, Leo Szilard, is a non-profit advocacy organization that seeks to "reduce the danger of nuclear weapons and increase national security", primarily through supporting progressive, congressional candidates who support their policies. The Council supported Frank R. Lautenberg in his successful 2008 Senate run as candidate for New Jersey.[4] He has also been previously supported by the Council.[5]
When endorsing him in 2008, the Council said this of Lautenberg;
- Senator Frank Lautenberg is a long-term ally of the Council for a Livable World and a committed supporter of arms control. He received an unexpected challenge in the primary from U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, but won handily. Lautenberg is now defending his seat against former GOP Representative and former Senate candidate Richard Zimmer in a state that strongly favors Democrats.
- Lautenberg has been a consistent and active ally of the Council during his many years in the Senate. He has had a record of 100% on Council issue positions over six times since 1984, and as low as 75% only three times in 24 years. Senator Lautenberg's only differences with the Council have been rare votes for military spending important to New Jersey and his vote for the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal. His door has always been open to Council suggestions.
- While Lautenberg was not in office to vote on the original Iraq war authorization in 2002, he said at the time that he would have voted for it. However, within a few months, he was leading the fight to hold President Bush accountable "for his deceit and deception on Iraq[6]
IAPAC money
Senator Frank R. Lautenberg received money from the Iranian American Political Action Committee during the 2008 election cycle.[7]
China visit
A bipartisan delegation of 10 United States Senators returned home late April following a week’s worth of meetings with high-level Chinese government officials, business leaders, U.S. Foreign Service officers and Peace Corps volunteers.
The historic delegation, led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, represented more than a third of the U.S. population and included some of the most senior members of the Senate. The delegation included Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).
Some of the Chinese officials the Senators met with include:
- Xi Jinping, China’s Vice President, who is widely expected to succeed Hu Jintao next year as China’s next President
- Wang Qishan, Vice Premier
- Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister
- Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the National People’s Congress, China’s legislature.
- Lu Yongxiang, Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress
- Zhou Xiaochuan, President of the People’s Bank of China
- Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of Hong Kong
- Florinda Chan, Acting Chief Executive and Secretary for Administration and Justice of Macau
- Ge Honglin, Mayor of Chengdu, a city with a population of 14 million that is a leader in China’s renewable energy industry.[8]
External links
References
- ↑ official Senate bio, accessed Sep. 21, 2011
- ↑ official Senate bio, accessed Sep. 21, 2011
- ↑ official Senate bio, accessed Sep. 21, 2011
- ↑ CLW website: Meet Our Candidates
- ↑ CLW website: Who We've Helped Elect
- ↑ CLW bio 2008, accessed July 2013
- ↑ American Political Action Committee,IAPAC Candidates, accessed January 29, 2017
- ↑ Harry Reid website, Bipartisan US Senate Delegation Returns from China April 26, 2011 | Press Releases