Charles Rangel

Charles Bernard "Charlie" Rangel (; June 11, 1930 – May 26, 2025) was an American politician. He served as the U.S. Representative for .  A member of the Democratic Party, he was the second-longest serving member of the House of Representatives. He served from 1971 to 2017.

Rangel was born in Harlem in Upper Manhattan. He earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service in the United States Army during the Korean War.

Rangel graduated from New York University in 1957 and St. John's University School of Law in 1960. He worked as a private lawyer, assistant U.S. attorney, and legal counsel during the early-mid-1960s. He was in the New York State Assembly from 1967 to 1971 and beat long-time incumbent Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in a primary challenge on his way to being elected to the House of Representatives.

In 2007, Rangel became the first African-American Chair of the important House Ways and Means Committee. He was also a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

He was a strong critic of the George W. Bush administration and the Iraq War.

Rangel did not run for re-election in the 2016 election. Rangel left office at the expiration of his term on January 3, 2017.

In 2020, Rangel endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president during the 2020 presidential election.

Rangel died at a hospital in New York City on May 26, 2025, at the age of 94.

References

Other websites

Charlie Rangel for Congress  

Charlie Rangel's oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project

Category:1930 births
Category:2025 deaths
Category:United States representatives from New York (state)
Category:Politicians from New York City
Category:Democratic Party (United States) politicians
Category:African-American politicians
Category:American military personnel of the Korean War
Category:Purple Heart recipients