Robert Lagomarsino

Robert John Lagomarsino (September 4, 1926 – February 7, 2021) was an American politician and lawyer from California who served in the United States House of Representatives.

A Republican, he began his service in the United States House of Representatives in 1974 and was re-elected every two years until 1992, when he was defeated for renomination by Michael Huffington.

In addition, Lagomarsino served as Chairman of the POW/MIA Task Force and was the House author of a measure creating the Prisoner of War Medal.

He toured South America, the Far East, the Pacific Region, the Soviet Union, and Europe numerous times, but held a particular interest in Southeast Asia; meeting with the Laos government in 1989 and, later, the Vietnamese government in 1990, to obtain information on American POW/MIA's in Southeast Asia.

During his service in Washington, Lagomarsino specialized in environmental concerns, foreign affairs (particularly Latin America), and illegal drug trafficking.

He was a leader in efforts to open overseas markets to U.S. products and to ban the transfer of strategic goods or technology.

A collection of papers, memorabilia, and furniture Lagomarsino had previously donated to the Ventura satellite campus of the California State University, Northridge was transitioned to CSUCI.

In 2002, the university's library formally established the Robert J. and Norma M. Lagomarsino Department of Archives and Special Collections.