- Talking Tom

Monday, June 3, 2013

Frank Lautenberg died

Frank Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat associated with major legislative achievements over five terms in the U.S. Senate and the chamber's last surviving World War II veteran, died on Monday of viral pneumonia, his office said.

Lautenberg, 89, missed key Senate votes late last year during a weeks-long absence because of a cold that turned into what he called a "severe case of bronchitis with fluid in the chest." He also battled stomach cancer in recent years.

He announced in a statement in February that he would not seek re-election next year, but he continued to push for stronger gun control laws.