New Jersey Sen. Lautenberg Dead At Age 89

09:05

June 03, 2013

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Department of Homeland Security Vice Chairman Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., speaks to witnesses during a hearing in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey died Monday morning, after struggling with complications of pneumonia. He was 89 years old.

Lautenberg was the last surviving World War II veteran in the Senate. He was the son of Polish and Russian immigrants, and he founded the payroll services company ADP.

In 1982, he became Democratic senator from New Jersey. He championed health and safety laws, including a ban on smoking in airplanes.

For more on Sen. Lautenberg's legacy, and a look forward to what Congress will be dealing with in the coming weeks, we turned to Ron Elving, NPR's senior Washington editor.

Guest:

Ron Elving, senior Washington editor for NPR.

This segment aired on June 3, 2013.

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