Charles Rangel Dies at 94

Former Rep. Charles Rangel, a Democrat who represented New York City districts in the House for almost 50 years, has died at age 94. Rangel, who would have turned 95 next month, was born in Harlem and dropped out of high school to enlist in the Army in 1948, the New York Times reports. After serving in the Korean War, for which he received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, he went to college on the GI Bill. He worked as an assistant US attorney and served in the State Assembly before he was elected to the House in 1970. Rangel retired in 2017.

• Rangel defeated legendary Harlem politician Adam Clayton Powell in a 1970 primary and "became a legend himself" over the following decades, the AP reports. He was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the first Black chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, reports CNN.

• In 2010, Rangel became the 23rd lawmaker to be censured by the House, and the first since 1983. The House voted 333-79 to censure Rangel for filing misleading financial disclosure forms and failing to pay taxes on income from renting a villa in the Dominican Republic, among other things. "I know in my heart I am not going to be judged by this Congress," he said at the time. "I'll be judged by my life in its entirety."
• During the Korean War, the wounded Rangel led his unit to safety from behind enemy lines. He often said he measured the rest of his life by that day, the AP reports. He titled his autobiography And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since. The Times reports that after the ethics charges were filed against him, he said: "60 years ago, I survived a Chinese attack in North Korea, and as a result I wrote a book saying that I hadn't had a bad day since. Today, I have to reassess that statement."
• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described Rangel as "a great man, a great friend and someone who never stopped fighting for his constituents in Harlem," CBS News reports. "He was brilliant, bold, funny, fearless, all at once," Schumer said. "The list of his accomplishments could fill pages, but one thing is certain. He left the world a lot better place than when he entered it."
• The Rev. Al Sharpton and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul remembered Rangel as the "Lion of Harlem." "Congressman Rangel earned the title The Lion of Harlem through decades of public service and a commitment to his community," Hochul said. "When I was elected to Congress, he embraced me and welcomed me to the New York delegation. We are all heartbroken at this immense loss."

(More Charles Rangel stories.)