Longtime Congressman Bob Matsui [1] of Sacramento died Saturday night after entering the hospital Dec. 24 with pneumonia. His family said he had been diagnosed several months ago with a rare and often fatal form of bone marrow cancer.

Matsui, a Japanese American, was interned as an infant during World War II. He had represented a district in California's capital city since 1978 in the House of Representatives. The country has lost a tireless public servant.