|
|
Article: Rep. Robert T. Matsui, Calif. Democrat, Dies
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- January 3, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
|
Robert T. Matsui, 63, the low-key but influential California
Democrat who had represented Sacramento in the U.S. House of
Representatives since 1979 and was a major force on trade and Social
Security issues, died Jan. 1 at National Naval Medical Center in
Bethesda.
He had pneumonia, a complication of a rare stem cell disorder with
which he was diagnosed in recent months.
At his death, Rep. Matsui was the third-ranking Democrat on the
powerful House Ways and Means Committee and among the highest-
ranking Asian Americans in House history.
As an infant, he was interned in a detention camp for Japanese
Americans during World War II. He later pushed through a bill hoping
to redress the ...