New Jersey's senior senator, Frank R. Lautenberg decided Thursday, February 14th, that he will not seek reelection. Lautenberg, a democrat and member of the influential Senate Appropriations Committee, has served in the US Senate since 1983, with a short break from that body between 2000 and 2002 when former governor Jon Corzine served as New Jersey's second senator. After attaining the rank of Corporal in the United States army during WWII, Lautenberg attended Columbia University School of Business. After college, he began a career at Automatic Data Processing in his home state of New Jersey that would last 25 years. He went on to work as a commissioner for the New York/New Jersey Port Authority up until his successful run for senate in 1983.
Having been born in 1924, Lautenberg is currently 89 and would be 96 by the end of his next term if he had sought reelection and won. The current Mayor of Newark, Cory Booker had already announced plans to run for Lautenberg's seat in 2014.
You can see how Lautenberg has been rated by various special interest groups here. You can see his voting record here, and a collection of his speeches and public statements dating back to 2003 here.
Click here to read Lautenberg's statement on his retirement...
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