Former New York Rep. Charles Rangel Dies at 94

Rangel served Congress for 46 years, from 1971 to 2017, and co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus.

Former Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) speaks before New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo gets vaccinated at the mass vaccination site at Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem, in New York City, on March 17, 2021. Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images

Charles Rangel, a former 23-term congressman from New York, has died at 94 years old, his family said on May 26.

Rangel, a Democrat, was the last surviving co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus and the “Gang of Four,” a political coalition of Harlem lawmakers.

His family confirmed Rangel’s death in a statement on May 26 to The City College of New York (CCNY), where he served as statesman-in-residence after he retired from Congress.

The CCNY stated that Rangel was the “hardest working legislator” in Congress, citing the 40 bills and resolutions he sponsored that became law. The college also recognized Rangel for his military service. He earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his courageous actions in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

“Rangel was a war hero, history-making congressman, and master lawmaker,” the college said in a statement. “He served for 23 terms in the House of Representatives and was cited as the most effective lawmaker in Congress, leading all of his colleagues in passing legislation.”

Rangel was also the primary sponsor of the Affordable Care Act—President Barack Obama’s health care reform law—nicknamed Obamacare.

At the CCNY, Rangel launched the Charles B. Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Initiative to support infrastructure jobs in the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx.

Before that, Rangel served for 46 years in Congress, from 1971 to 2017. He represented five different congressional districts and became known as the “Lion of Lenox Avenue.” During his tenure, Rangel co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus and became the first black chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He was the second-longest-serving incumbent member of the House of Representatives when he retired.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said the longtime congressman broke barriers as the first African American to chair the Ways and Means Committee. Jeffries also recognized Rangel for being the author of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, which Jeffries said helped facilitate the development of millions of affordable housing units across the nation.

“He was clear-eyed about his responsibility to look out for the least, the lost and the left-behind and made it his life’s work to deliver on their behalf,” Jeffries wrote in a statement.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised the longtime lawmaker in a May 26 post on social media platform X.

“Rangel was a great man, a great friend, and someone who never stopped fighting for his constituents and the best of America,” Schumer wrote. “The list of his accomplishments could take pages, but he leaves the world a much better place than he found it.”

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called Rangel a mentor and a friend.

“He taught me that leadership is about lifting others up and in the face of injustice, you don’t flinch, you don’t fold—you fight,” Cuomo wrote in a statement posted on X on May 26. “He was a giant in every sense. And though he’s gone, his spirit will echo for generations to come.”

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in a May 26 X post that Rangel urged her to run for Senate and was an “invaluable colleague,” describing him as a “beloved icon and public servant of New York.”

Rangel’s wife, Alma Rangel, was a longtime activist and social worker. She died in October 2024.

From NTD News