Charles Rangel, former longtime N.Y. congressman who represented Harlem, dies at 94

Charles Rangel, the former Democratic congressman from New York who championed his Harlem community on Capitol Hill for almost five decades, died Monday.

He was 94.

The family confirmed his death in a statement provided by City College of New York spokesperson Michelle Stent. He died at a hospital in New York, Stent said.

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.

“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 in a post Monday on X. “The list of his accomplishments could take pages, but he leaves the world a much better place than he found it.”

In a post on X, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said 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.”

Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War, defeated legendary Harlem politician Adam Clayton Powell in 1970 to start his congressional career. During the next 40-plus years, he became a legend — 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.

He stepped down from that committee amid an ethics cloud and the House later censured him. However, he was re-elected and served in Congress until 2017.

According to the statement provided to the City College of New York, Rangel sponsored 40 bills and resolutions that became law throughout his tenure. His significant legislative accomplishments include championing the national Empowerment Zone program, the Affordable Care Act and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

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