Latest news with #CharlesRangel
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Memorial services for late former congressman Charles Rangel announced
Former Rep. Charles Rangel to lie in state at New York City Hall Former Rep. Charles Rangel to lie in state at New York City Hall Former Rep. Charles Rangel to lie in state at New York City Hall Memorial services have been announced for late former congressman Charles Rangel, who died on May 26 at age 94. Rangel will lie in repose at St. Aloysius Church on West 132nd Street in Harlem on June 9 and 10. Members of the public are invited to pay their respects between noon and 8 p.m. each day. He will then lie in state at New York City Hall on June 11 and 12. "We want to show just a high level of respect for a leader. Of my knowledge, there's only two congressmen I can recall from Harlem, and that was the great Congressman Adam Clayton Powell [Jr.] and the Congressman Charlie Rangel, and so we're looking forward to show him the respect that he's due," Mayor Eric Adams said. A funeral service for Rangel will be held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown at 9:45 a.m. on June 13. The mass will be open to the public. Seating will be limited. Charles Rangel dies at 94 Rangel was a Harlem native who served in the House of Representatives for 46 years. He was a Korean War veteran, the dean of the New York Congressional Delegation, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the first Black chair of the House's Ways and Means Committee. He was also one of the so-called "Gang of Four" coalition along with fellow Harlem natives Basil Paterson, Percy Sutton and former Mayor David Dinkins. In 2008, Rangel faced a series of ethic violations alleging he failed to abide by tax laws, and in 2010, Congress voted to censure him after he was convicted of 11 counts of violating House rules. He went on to be reelected to two more terms. State flags were flown at half-staff in his honor on Monday and Tuesday, and Gov. Kathy Hochul has ordered flags to be lowered on the day of his funeral service. Rangel is survived by his son and daughter, as well as three grandsons.
Washington Post
27-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
In Charlie Rangel's death, more reminders of democracy's broken bits
Charles B. Rangel arrived in Congress several lifetimes ago, back when skilled dealmaking was a regular and revered part of the job and not what it has become: a grudging miracle that rises at the last minute to keep the government running until the next man-made emergency emerges a few months hence.
CNBC
27-05-2025
- Politics
- CNBC
Charles Rangel, former longtime N.Y. congressman who represented Harlem, dies at 94
Charles Rangel, the Democratic former congressman from New York who championed his Harlem community on Capitol Hill for almost five decades, died Monday, his family said. He was 94. City College of New York spokesperson Michelle Stent confirmed Rangel's death in a statement, saying he died at a hospital in New York. Politicians and supporters remembered Rangel, known as Charlie, for his years in public service and deep roots in New York City. He was born in Harlem and was first elected to Congress in 1970, representing a congressional district that was first drawn up in the 1940s and allowed the neighborhood's majority Black voters to send one of their own to Washington. Rangel served for so long that he earned the nickname the "Lion of Lenox Avenue," referring to one of Harlem's primary corridors. "Charlie Rangel was a great man, a great friend, and someone who never stopped fighting for his constituents and the best of America," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday on X. "The list of his accomplishments could take pages, but he leaves the world a much better place than he found it." New York Mayor Eric Adams said on X that he was "sad to lose a dear friend and exemplary model of devotion and courage." The Rev. Al Sharpton called Rangel a "trailblazing legislator and an unshakable force in American politics." Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo also honored Rangel as his "mentor and friend." "He had that Harlem fire in his heart and a joy in his soul that no battle could extinguish," Cuomo said in a statement, adding that "he never forgot where he came from." Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War, was a high school dropout but eventually went to college on the G.I. Bill, getting degrees from New York University and St. John's University Law School. In 1970, he defeated legendary Harlem politician Adam Clayton Powell to start his congressional career. During the next 40-plus years, he became a legend himself — a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, dean of the New York congressional delegation and, in 2007, the first Black chair of the influential Ways and Means Committee. "I have always been committed to fighting for the little guy," Rangel said in 2012. Two years earlier, he had stepped down from the Ways and Means Committee amid an ethics cloud. The House would later censure him in a 333-79 vote, citing nearly a dozen ethics violations that included breaching a gifts ban, improper use of influence and failure to disclose income. After the censure, Rangel rose before his colleagues in sorrow. "I know in my heart I am not going to be judged by this Congress," he said. "I'll be judged by my life in its entirety." Rangel remained in Congress and won the 2012 primary. His Harlem district overwhelmingly voted him in again as Barack Obama won a second presidential term. Despite the political stain later in his career, his time in Congress was exceedingly busy. According to the City College statement, Rangel sponsored 40 bills and resolutions that became law. His significant legislative accomplishments include championing the national Empowerment Zone program, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and the Affordable Care Act, which Obama signed into law in 2010. Rangel was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee when the Affordable Care Act was being heavily debated in Congress, and he was under pressure from the ethics investigations. In a 2009 interview with Time, he was defiant when he was asked about his legacy. "Well, as Rhett Butler once said in 'Gone With the Wind,' if I'm gone, quite frankly, I don't give a damn," he told the magazine. Rangel served in Congress until 2017, when he retired. He lamented to The New York Times in 2016, when his eventual successor, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, was poised to become the first Dominican American elected to Congress, that he feared that meant his Harlem district would no longer have a Black representative. "Can you tell the people in Boston that some day you won't have an Irish congressman?" Rangel said. Rangel was the last surviving member of the so-called Gang of Four — a group of Black political figures who wielded great power in city and state politics. The others were David Dinkins, New York's first Black mayor; Percy Sutton, who was Manhattan Borough president; and Basil Paterson, a deputy mayor and New York secretary of state. The Congressional Black Caucus said in a statement Monday that its 61 members were mourning the loss of Rangel. "His legacy is one of tireless advocacy, historic firsts, and dedication to justice and equality," the caucus said. "May he rest in power and everlasting peace." Rangel is preceded in death by his wife, Alma, a social worker whom he met in a Harlem ballroom in the 1950s; she died in 2024. The couple shared two children.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Charles Rangel, longtime Harlem Congressman and civil rights advocate, dies at 94
Former US Rep Charles Rangel (Image credits: AP) Former US Rep Charles Rangel, a longtime Harlem Democrat who served nearly 50 years in Congress, died Monday at the age of 94. His family confirmed his death through a statement provided by City College of New York. Rangel passed away at a hospital in New York City, news agency AP reported. A Korean War veteran, Rangel launched his political career by defeating legendary Harlem lawmaker Adam Clayton Powell Jr in 1970. He went on to become one of the most prominent Black politicians in the country, serving from 1971 until his retirement in 2017. Rangel was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and became the first African American to chair the powerful House Ways and Means Committee in 2007. Though he later stepped down from the post and was censured by the House in 2010 following ethics violations, Rangel remained a major force in Congress. He was also the last surviving member of New York's 'Gang of Four,' a group of influential Black political leaders that included former New York City mayor David Dinkins, Manhattan Borough president Percy Sutton, and state official Basil Paterson. House democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called Rangel 'a patriot, hero, statesman, leader, trailblazer, change agent and champion for justice.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Known for his gravelly voice and fiery speeches, Rangel was a fierce advocate for Harlem and low-income communities. Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton once said Rangel encouraged her to run for the US Senate in 2000. Former US President Bill Clinton also praised Rangel for his work on expanding tax credits for businesses in struggling neighborhoods. In 1987, Congress passed the 'Rangel Amendment,' cutting tax breaks for US firms investing in apartheid-era South Africa.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Memorial Day ceremony at Intrepid Museum honors fallen heroes
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11)– A moving day remembrance at the Intrepid Museum included a mention of Navy Veteran and longtime Congressman Charles Rangel. Monday morning, as service members past and present unfurled a massive American flag, a 21-gun salute echoed in the background for those gathered at the Intrepid Museum. More Local News 'The ship's motto is 'never forget,' which is obviously extremely appropriate to help us with our Memorial Day remembrances,' Mel Immergut with the Intrepid Museum. 'As May draws to a close, we pause with purpose,' said Admiral Daryl Caudle, Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces. 'We gather not merely to mark a holiday on the calendar, but to remember profoundly and reverently the true cost of the freedoms we cherish as Americans.' Among the speakers was Mayor Eric Adams, who called upon New Yorkers to consider a life of service– and be more patriotic. It was he who honored Rangel. 'As I was driving here, we lost a great hero who served in the Korean War, Congressman Charles Rangel,' Adams said. 'He was a great American, and true committer to what's great about this country.' The Mayor and others cast a wreath into the harbor to remember the fallen. Gene Austin, a Long Island native, is one of the Intrepid's last active crew members. 'It's just a day of remembrance and sadness in a lot of ways,' Austin said. 'Everybody says 'ok the beginning of summer,' that's not the real meaning, it's a very emotional day for those that died giving us our freedoms that we enjoy today.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
