Senator Lautenberg was born in Paterson, New Jersey, the son of Polish and Russian immigrants who came to the United States through Ellis Island.
Lautenberg enlisted and served in the Army Signal Corps in Europe. Following the war, he attended Columbia University on the G.I. Bill and graduated with a degree in economics.
With his military service completed and his education secured, Lautenberg set out to build a career. He joined with two boyhood friends from his old neighborhood to found the nation's first payroll services company, Automatic Data Processing. Lautenberg served as chairman and CEO, and along with his partners developed ADP into one of the largest computing services company in the world.
He decided to launch a new career in politics and - running for his first public office - was elected to the Senate in 1982. He was re-elected in 1988 and 1994, and returned to win a fourth term in 2002.
Lautenberg retired from the Senate in 2000, but he returned in 2002 to once again serve New Jersey and the nation.
