Charlie Rangel, a former New York congressman and trailblazer in the House of Representatives for nearly 50 years, has died at 94.
Rangel’s death on Memorial Day was confirmed by the City College of New York on Monday, though the cause of death was not released.
Rangel was first elected to Congress in 1970, and he co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus and was the first black chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
“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,” the college said in a statement.
During his House tenure, Rangel sponsored dozens of bills and provisions that went on to become law, including the Affordable Care Act, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, and the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
His later years in the House were marred by alleged ethics violations that culminated in the chamber censuring him in 2010 in a bipartisan vote.
He retired from Congress in 2017 and went on to serve as statesman-in-residence at the City College.
“Following Saint Matthew’s teaching, he was a stalwart champion for the ‘least among us,’ dedicated to improving the lives of working families, fighting for jobs and education, and advocating for equality and justice,” the college said Monday.
Rangel was born and raised in Harlem, New York, and attended DeWitt Clinton High School. He dropped out of high school at 16 and later joined the Army at 18.
He served in the Korean War, earning the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
After finishing his military service, Rangel finished high school. He later attended and graduated from New York University in 1957 and St. John’s University School of Law in 1960.
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Tributes to Rangel quickly flooded social media, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) calling Rangel a “phenomenal patriot, hero, statesman, leader, trailblazer, change agent & champion for justice.”
“The Lion of Lenox Ave was a transformational force of nature,” the New York Democrat continued. “Harlem, NYC & America are better today because of his service. May he forever rest in power.”
