Frank Lautenberg was born in Paterson and graduated from Nutley High School. A Democrat, Lautenberg represented New Jersey in the United States Senates for five terms. He first served from 1982 to 2001, and after a brief retirement he was asked by his party to run again. Lautenberg was re-elected to the Senate and served from 2003 until his death in June 2013. He was known for his legislative efforts to toughen environmental regulations, anti-smoking laws, consumer protections, drunk driving penalties, and to increase spending for Amtrak and urban public transportation.