Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel looks up at reporters while voting in New York, June 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Former U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, a gravel-voiced Harlem Democrat and founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, died Monday at 94, according to the Associated Press.
A Korean War veteran, Rangel unseated Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in 1970 and served nearly five decades in Congress.
In this July 26, 1974 file photo, Reps. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and Barbara Jordan, D-Tex., left, look over a copy of the Constitution during a House Judiciary Committee debate on articles of impeachment for President Richard Nixon in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/File)
He became the first Black chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee in 2007, but was later censured over ethics violations.
Rangel was known for his fierce opposition to the Iraq War and sharp verbal clashes with figures such as Dick Cheney.
Congressman Charles Rangel leaves a rally for airport workers at LaGuardia Airport in the Queens borough of New York, June 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
As one of New York’s influential “Gang of Four,” he championed economic empowerment and affordable housing.
Rangel retired in 2017, leaving a lasting legacy in both Harlem and Washington.
Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, writer, radio host, and political commentator. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in African-American Studies, his work on race, culture, and politics have appeared in national publications, including the Washington Post, CNN, and The Grio. Clay is a regular political commentator on MSNBC.
