Tributes flowed following the death of Greek-American senator Paul Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat who served in the US Congress for more than thirty years.
Born to Greek immigrants in Maryland on 3 February, 1933, Mr Sarbanes passed away on Sunday in Baltimore, aged 87.
Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, “Senator Paul Sarbanes was a towering figure in US politics and a strong advocate of Greek issues, for which Greece will always be grateful. He will be greatly missed.”
President Katerina Sakellaropoulou tweeted that Mr Sarbanes “remained a staunch supporter of Greek interests until the end and was always there when our nation needed him.”
Main opposition Radical Left Coalion SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras said Mr Sarbanes left behind “a great legacy” and was a “leading figure of the Greek-American community, who passionately championed Greek issues throughout his life.”
Γιος Ελλήνων μεταναστών -Σπύρου και Ματίνας- ο Γερουσιαστής Paul Sarbanes, με λαμπρές σπουδές, διακρίθηκε εκπροσωπώντας τους πολίτες του Maryland για δεκαετίες. Τέκνο του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου, καύχημα του Αμερικανικού Έθνους και της Ελληνικής Διασποράς. Αιωνία του η μνήμη. pic.twitter.com/Lil477N31w
— Elpidophoros (@Elpidophoros) December 7, 2020
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In Australia, Peter Katsabanes paid tribute to the senator in his capacity as President of the World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association (WHIA):
Legislators of Hellenic origin around the world are deeply saddened at the passing of former United States Senator Paul Sarbanes.
Paul Sarbanes was a true giant of the American political stage, becoming the longest-serving Senator from the state of Maryland from 1977 to 2007, after previously having successfully served in the United States House of Representatives and the Maryland House of Delegates.
As Chair of the Senate Banking Committee, Senator Sarbanes famously co-authored the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that reformed public company governance requirements and implemented important investor protections by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures. These measures have been widely adopted in many other nations to provide better protection for small investors.
His son, John Sarbanes, continues the family legacy serving with distinction in the United States House of Representatives since 2007 as another proud Greek-American legislator.
Former Senator Sarbanes was proud of his Hellenic roots as the son of migrants from Lakonia who moved across the seas to forge a better life for their family. He championed the cause of learning foreign languages such as Greek and recognized the link between the values of the ancient world and modern American life.
To aspiring legislators of Hellenic origin around the world, Senator Sarbanes served as a shining example of how we can faithfully serve our local community and engage in public policy reform whilst staying true to our enduring Hellenic values and ideals.
On this sad day, we pay tribute to the lasting legacy of Paul Sarbanes and we offer our deepest condolences to his family including his children John, Michael and Janet and his grandchildren.
May the memory of Senator Paul Sarbanes be eternal.
