US Sen. Frank Lautenberg, the oldest member of the Senate and the last World War II veteran serving there, has died at age 89.
The late Sen. Frank Lautenberg
His office said that the millionaire New Jersey Democrat who was famous for his gun-control advocacy died June 3 at a New York hospital after suffering complications from viral pneumonia.
Lautenberg, who had been called out of retirement for a second tour of duty in Congress, announced in February that he would not seek a sixth term. The Democrat had health problems in recent years and had missed several Senate votes in the first months of the year.
He had the flu and missed the Senate’s Jan. 1 vote to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff of rising taxes and falling government spending, then missed several votes two months later because of leg pain.
A chest cold kept him from attending a May 29 tribute in New York honoring him for his contributions to the Jewish community and Israel.
He had been diagnosed in February 2010 with B-cell lymphoma of the stomach and underwent chemotherapy treatments until he was declared in June 2010 to be free of cancer. He worked between the treatments. The diagnosis came just days after the death of West Virginia’s Robert Byrd made Lautenberg the oldest member of the Senate.
On June 6, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced his appointment of state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa to replace Lautenberg.
Chiesa, a longtime friend and colleague of Christie’s dating to their early days as lawyers, served as chief counsel to the governor from January 2010 through December 2011, when he was nominated to be New Jersey attorney general. Christie said Chiesa, a Republican, will not run for Senate when his temporary term is over.
At a press conference, Christie said he had been considering options for Lautenberg’s seat long before his death.
Christie called Chiesa “the best person” for the job and praised him as a public official who has maintained friendly relationships with both Democrats and Republicans.
Chiesa, who described himself as a “conservative Republican,” said he wanted to “contribute in anyway I can” to the Senate and that he would use his “best judgment and skill” in serving the state. He called the appointment “an incredible honor,” but insisted he was not interested in holding the job past October.
