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Charles B. Rangel

 
Biography: Charles B. Rangel
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Charles B. Rangel (born 1930) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York City for more than 15 years. His major concern was the effects of narcotics on people and society.

Charles B. Rangel was born June 11, 1930, in Harlem in New York City. In 1948 he dropped out of high school to join the army. He was soon sent to Korea, where he received both a Purple Heart for being injured and a Bronze Star for bravery. The wounded Rangel led 40 of his comrades for three days behind enemy lines rather than surrender.

After his discharge from the army in 1952 Rangel worked in New York's garment district while completing high school. After receiving his diploma in 1953 he enrolled in New York University and graduated with a degree in accounting in 1957. In 1960 he received a law degree from St. John's University Law School and was soon admitted to the New York State Bar. From 1961 to 1962 Rangel served the southern district of New York as an assistant U.S. attorney.

Rangel was more interested in politics than in prosecuting criminals, and in 1966 he was elected to the first of two terms in the New York State Assembly. As an assemblyman Rangel was deeply concerned about the people in his district, which included Harlem. He walked the streets and talked with the people he represented. Rangel concluded that narcotics which threatened the stability and lives of thousands of youth were the major problem confronting his constituents, contending that "the country should treat this as a threat to national security. I don't think we should do anything less than we should do if missiles were pointed at our country." Rangel also advocated legalized gambling. He claimed that "for the average Harlemite, playing numbers … is moral and a way of life."

In 1970 Rangel sought the 19th district congressional seat held by Adam Clayton Powell. Rangel defeated the once powerful congressman in a close Democratic primary race. He did so with the endorsement of the Republican Party, and in the general election he defeated candidates representing the Liberal, Conservative, Communist, and Socialist Workers parties. As a congressman, Rangel continued his attack on the narcotics problem. He believed drugs to be the curse of the African American community and responsible for much of the crime there. In 1971 he attacked police corruption in New York City, accusing officers of drug trafficking. He also charged the U.S. State Department with "being involved in a conspiracy" with the French and Turkish governments which grew and processed narcotics "for the purpose of illegally importing" them into the United States. Later that year, President Richard Nixon telephoned Rangel to inform him that Turkey had agreed to end its production of opium poppies within a year.

Rangel concentrated most of his energy on the drug problem. Education, housing, and health were all affected by drugs, he argued, and he proposed that economic aid to foreign countries who refused to act against the illegal drug traffic be ended. He was also influential in getting such a law passed. Rangel later chaired the House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control which examined the problems of drug abuse and trafficking.

With his appointment as deputy whip to the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee in 1983, Rangel joined the inner sanctum of the House Democratic leadership. He was appointed in 1974 as the first African American to serve on powerful Ways and Means committee. He also chaired the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. As an influential member of the Ways and Means committee, he was instrumental in getting before the Congress the concept of economic aid for beleagured cities in the from of "Enterprise Zones," a combination of grants and tax breaks for businesses that invest in inner cities. The concept was put into law in 1993.

In his many years of winning reelection as a U.S. representative, Rangel has become an influential and highly respected member of Congress. He is considered by some of his colleagues to be one of the most liberal members of the House. He is also the New York representative with the broadest power base. Although his power and influence increased in the nation's capitol, Rangel maintained close ties with his constituents. He regularly attends meetings on community problems with state legislators and city councilmen from his district. He ran on all three party lines in New York and attended the annual political dinners of the Democratic, Republican, and Liberal parties. In the congressman's Washington office hangs a portrait of Adam Clayton Powell as "a reminder of what can happen in Washington." Elected for his fourteenth term in 1996, he became the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means committee. Rangel's ambition to be speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives might someday become a reality.

Further Reading

For additional information on Rangel's House career and voting patterns see the bi-annual editions of Barone, Ujifusa, and Matthews, The Almanac of American Politics. See also editions of Allen Ehrenhalt, Politics in America.

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Black Biography: Charles Rangel
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politician; activist

Personal Information

Born Charles Bernard Rangel on June 11, 1930, in New York, NY; son of Ralph and Blanche (a seamstress; maiden name, Wharton) Rangel; married Alma Carter, July 26, 1964; children: Steven, Alicia
Education: New York University, BS, 1957; St. John's University, JD, 1960.
Politics: Democrat.
Memberships: Congressional Black Caucus, founding member, 1974; House Judiciary Committee during impeachment proceedings against President Richard M. Nixon; House Ways and Means Committee, 1975-; Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, 1976-(?); House Ways and Means Committee's Health Subcommittee, chairman, 1978-early 1980s; Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, member, 1979; Oversight Subcommittee, chairman; House deputy whip, 1983; Joint Committee on Taxation, 1980s-.

Career

Admitted to the Bar of New York State, 1960; private law practice in New York City, 1960-61; assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, 1961-62; served as legal counsel to various organizations and officials, 1963-66; New York State Assembly, state representative for the 72nd District of New York, 1966-70; U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, congressman from the 16th District of New York, 1970-.

Life's Work

Congressman Charles Rangel of New York is one of the most influential and respected men in Washington, D.C. Since his legislative career began in 1970, he has been recognized as a dedicated, hardworking individual with a personality that is uniquely suited to political productivity. He expresses his opinions forcefully and stands by them steadfastly, but he is also flexible enough to compromise in order to effect change. His genial personality has helped him to form alliances with people whose philosophies are vastly different from his, and his overall competence has won him the support of many Republicans as well as that of his fellow Democrats.

Left Harlem for Military Service

Rangel was born in Harlem on June 11, 1930, the second of his parents' three children, and was raised by his mother and her father. He grew up amid the drugs and street crime that would later become his main concerns as an elected official. Rangel attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx but dropped out during his junior year. After working a few low-paying jobs that offered little in the way of satisfaction or potential, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1948. Sent to Korea, he took part in heavy combat there. After rescuing some forty soldiers from behind enemy lines, he was decorated with both the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for valor.

Army life opened new doors for Rangel. He felt no desire to become a career soldier, and he found discrimination in the service, as elsewhere. In fact, years later, during the Gulf War of 1991, he demanded that General Colin L. Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, investigate claims by black National Guardsmen from Harlem that they had been treated disrespectfully and thrust into combat without proper training. But even though the Army was no haven of equal opportunity, Rangel's tour of duty was a pivotal life experience. For the first time he saw alternatives to the poverty that was the norm in Harlem, and he knew he would never go back to that way of life.

Discharged honorably as a staff sergeant in 1952, Rangel immediately began work on completion of his high school education. In one year's time he went through two years' worth of study and earned his diploma in 1953. By 1957 he had graduated from New York University's School of Commerce, becoming the first person in his family to get a college degree. His academic performance was stellar and won him a full scholarship to St. John's University, the largest Roman Catholic university in the United States.

In 1960 Rangel graduated from St. John's Law School and was admitted to the bar. His first year of practice wasn't particularly lucrative, but he did begin attracting a following among black civil rights activists, who appreciated his willingness to take on their cases. After a year in private practice, Rangel was appointed U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Over the next few years he served in a variety of posts that deepened his insight into legal matters on both state and local levels. He was legal counsel to New York City's Housing and Redevelopment Board, associate counsel to the speaker of the New York State Assembly, legal assistant to Judge James L. Watson of New York, and general counsel to the National Advisory Commission on Selective Service.

Committed Himself to Public Service

In 1966 he was elected to the New York State Assembly as the representative for the 72nd District in Central Harlem. Before long he was the acknowledged leader on issues affecting working class and lower income people, yet he had also cultivated an alliance with the state's Republican governor, Nelson A. Rockefeller. Rockefeller was even able to get Republican support for Rangel during the representative's 1968 reelection campaign, which he won.

By 1970 Rangel was ready to make his bid for a seat in the national legislature. To do so, he had to challenge the longtime favorite of New York State's 16th Congressional District, Adam Clayton Powell. Powell, another Harlem native, was a high-profile, charismatic leader. Rangel expressed admiration for his opponent's past work but said that he felt compelled to run because the incumbent seemed to be growing lax in his duties. Rangel pointed to Powell's poor congressional attendance record as evidence that the people were not being well served.

Many former supporters of Powell agreed that he was becoming unpredictable and some even speculated that he had grown politically dangerous. Rangel's excellent performance on the state level gave rise to hopes that a fresh, competent congressman could bring about positive changes for Harlem and New York State. But Powell still had many loyal followers, and the primary race was extremely close. Out of 25,000 votes cast for the five men running, Rangel beat Powell by just 150. Compared to the primary, the general election later that year was a walkover--Rangel took 80 percent of the vote.

Rangel's first term as congressman was an active one. He was appointed to the Select Committee on Crime and was a key player in the passage of a 1971 amendment to existing drug laws that gave the president authority to reduce military and financial aid to any country failing to cooperate with U.S. efforts to stop international drug trafficking. His performance fulfilled his supporters' confidence in him, but his reelection in 1972 was by no means assured. The boundaries of the 16th District had been redrawn, and while it still included much of Rangel's core of support in Harlem, the redefined district also took in many white, middle-class streets on New York City's West Side. Rangel had to prove that his appeal was not limited to blacks.

The situation was further complicated by a primary challenge from Livingston Wingate, who, as the former director of a Harlem antipoverty organization, had grass-roots appeal. Furthermore, he had the backing of certain black nationalist groups Rangel had openly denounced, as well as support from many former followers of Powell. In the end, however, Rangel won the primary by a three-to-one margin. Since then, he has faced no serious challengers and has enjoyed the support of both Democratic and Republican voters.

Became Established in his Government Career

Throughout the 1970s, Rangel built up a solid reputation in the House of Representatives. In 1974 he was named chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. He was in the public eye during 1974 and 1975 as a member of the House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment hearings against former U.S. president Richard Nixon; in that capacity he earned respect for his obvious grasp of the issues and his thoughtful questioning of the witnesses. In 1975 he became the first black appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee, which makes key decisions regarding tax and welfare legislation. In 1976 he was appointed to the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control; his fellow representatives from New York chose him as their majority regional whip in 1977; the next year he became chairman of the Health Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee; and by the end of the decade he was a member of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, a powerful group that guides the course of the Democratic party.

The late 1970s also saw Rangel become entangled in tensions between New York City's black communities and the mayor at that time, Ed Koch. In 1977 Rangel had backed Koch over Mario Cuomo (who later became the governor of New York) in the mayoral primary. Koch won the primary and the general election, but during his first term as mayor, many black leaders and voters became convinced that he was indifferent to their concerns. Rangel criticized the mayor for certain budget cuts affecting low-income neighborhoods, but he still supported Koch in 1981. Koch was reelected, but over the next two years he lost Rangel's backing. By 1983 Rangel's criticism of Koch had intensified, and rumor developed that Rangel might run for mayor in 1985. Other such rumors have circulated from time to time, but it now appears that Rangel is unlikely to leave Congress, where he has become so well established. He has stated that becoming House Speaker or chairing the Ways and Means Committee are his real political dreams.

Rangel's commitment to improving social conditions has remained strong throughout his years in office, and he continued to move into increasingly influential positions to help him further his goals. As the Reagan era dawned in the 1980s, Rangel gave up his chairmanship of the important Ways and Means Health Subcommittee to take over the Oversight Subcommittee. In that capacity, he was able to initiate probes into financial cuts to social programs such as welfare, Social Security, and Medicare. By 1983 he was one of the highest-ranking members of the Ways and Means Committee, and in that year House Speaker Thomas "Tip" O'Neill named him deputy whip of the House, bringing Rangel into the inner sanctum of Congress. Rangel continued his strong presence in the House into 2005 as a ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Throughout his career, Rangel has taken an unabashedly liberal stance on most issues, even after the word "liberal" fell out of favor. As early as 1969, he endorsed the first national protest against the war in Vietnam. His voting record is consistently against interventionist foreign policies and excessive military spending, and included vehement opposition to the war in Iraq in the 2000s. He has voted in favor of busing to integrate schools, government funding for abortions, the creation of a consumer protection agency, and the abolishment of a cap on government funding of food stamps. In 2004 Rangel pushed for continued antipoverty funding, warning of the dire straits of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and the Child Care and Development Block Grant, among other welfare programs during the administration of President George W. Bush.

Urged Congress to Face Drug Crisis

Having grown up in Harlem, Rangel has a much clearer grasp than many of his political colleagues of how social problems manifest themselves on the street level. As a member of the New York state legislature, he sought to improve poor social conditions in his district without punishing those who suffer from them. For example, he worked to legalize gambling on numbers, knowing that it was already an accepted fact of life on the street. He fought a measure that would have meant longer jail sentences for prostitution, arguing that this would not address the issues that caused women to turn to that life. He has repeatedly denounced anti-drug measures that punish the user instead of the suppliers. When many of his fellow congressmen jumped on the antidrug bandwagon and began calling for harsh sanctions against drug abusers, Rangel protested. "Some of the things that sound rough and mean and antidrug...are really antipeople," he told Time.

Congressman Rangel is acknowledged as one of the best informed men in Washington on the subject of drug abuse. He considers the drug problem to be the most serious crisis in the United States. Years before most people came to see drugs as a national threat, Rangel was urging his fellow lawmakers to confront the issue. He contends that even though drug abuse is now a fashionable issue, most politicians are unwilling to dig into the problem. "We need outrage!" he told Ebony contributor Lynn Norment. "I don't know what is behind the lackadaisical attitude toward drugs, but I do know that the American people have made it abundantly clear: they are outraged by the indifference of the U.S. government to this problem. Not only is there a lack of commitment, but a feeling that we are not supposed to talk about it."

But Rangel is willing to talk about the problem at length, and he has very definite ideas about what needs to be done. He is vehemently against drug legalization, considering it "moral and political suicide," as he was quoted as saying in Ebony. Early in his career he fought a plan by the mayor of New York City to experiment with legalization by giving selected addicts maintenance doses of their drugs. "They just want to go into...Harlem and pick up 500 black and Puerto Rican guinea pigs," he was quoted as saying in the New York Times "The philosophy is 'keep them high, write them off.'"

Continued to Address Voters' Concerns

"We have to develop a comprehensive strategy attacking on all fronts," he told Ebony. "We could stop drug dealers cold in their tracks, ending sales, if we had effective anti-drug education in every classroom, in every church, out in the shooting galleries, in every community group, and on every radio station, TV station, in every newspaper and magazine." And although he had sharp criticism of President George Bush's military intervention to capture Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega, Rangel favors a strong anti-drug component in the makeup of U.S. foreign policy. "Not one ounce of opium or coca, which are used to make heroin and cocaine and crack, is grown here on U.S. soil. Ending foreign supplies must become as important to the administration as stopping communism. It's not communists killing our kids; it's drugs," he concluded.

Rangel remained concerned with domestic affairs into the new millennium. He proposed legislation to increase public school funding every year since 1997, and he made national headlines in 2003 railing against Republicans for blocking Democrats from discussions about the future of Medicare. But he did not shy away from broader international challenges, specifically the war in Iraq. As the United States committed more troops to the Iraq war efforts, many, including Rangel, became concerned about America's ability to recruit volunteers to serve in the military. In 2003, Rangel, along with South Carolina Senator Fritz Hollings, proposed a universal draft to spread the burden of war among America's classes and races. Rangel explained in Time that the draft would "democratize" the military and "return to the 'citizen soldier' ideal that has served our nation so well." Debate over the draft provoked much discussion and controversy as the U.S. commitments in Iraq continued into 2005. Rangel remained committed to the idea and renewed his call for a military draft in on May 26, 2005, citing "a 30 percent decline in enlistments, endangering the long-term viability of the U.S. military" as the crisis point in need of a remedy, according to a House press release.

Rangel's characteristic spunk was aptly captured by conservative columnist William F. Buckley Jr. in the National Review. Buckley described Rangel as "very bright and very witty and a public figure who rivals Barbara Walters for omnipresence." Although considered a potential vice-presidential candidate during the 2000s, Rangel made clear that he would rather remain focused on his work in the House. In his mid-seventies Rangel signaled no desire to retire, and showed no signs of even slowing down.

Awards

Jackie Robinson Foundation, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2005.

Further Reading

Periodicals

  • Black Enterprise, October 1983; January 1985; September 1989; July 1990; April 1991.
  • Ebony, March 1989; August 1989; December 1989.
  • Economic Opportunity Report, September 13, 2004.
  • Jet, December 16, 1991; November 24, 2003; August 2, 2004; August 30, 2004; May 9, 2005.
  • National Review, May 5, 2003.
  • New York Daily News, June 16, 1971.
  • New York Post, April 3, 1971.
  • New York Times, December 12, 1974; April 5, 1987; September 5, 1987; June 6, 1988; July 6, 1988; September 16, 1989; July 24, 1990; August 14, 1990; December 20, 1990; February 28, 1991; August 22, 1991.
  • Time, September 19, 1988; December 29, 2003.
On-line
  • Congressman Charles B. Rangel, www.house.gov/rangel (June 10, 2005).
  • "Press Release: Congressman Charles Rangel Renews Call for Military Draft," U.S. House of Representatives, www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny15_rangel/CBRStatementDraft05262005.html (June 6, 2005).
  • Rangel for Congress, www.charlierangel.com (June 10, 2005).

— Joan Goldsworthy and Sara Pendergast

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Charles Bernard Rangel
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Rangel, Charles Bernard (răng'gəl), 1930-, U.S. congressman, b. New York City. Receiving his law degree from St. John's Univ. in 1960, Rangel served in the New York state assembly (1966-70) before defeating (1970) fellow Democrat Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. to win his first term as U.S. representative for New York City's Harlem. A member (1975-) of the House ways and means committee, he became its chairman in 2007. He also was chairman (1983-93) of the former select committee on narcotics. Rangel has worked to improve affirmative action and to combat international drug trafficking, adamantly opposing narcotics legalization.
Wikipedia: Charles B. Rangel
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Charles Rangel

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 15th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 3, 1993
Preceded by S. William Green
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 16th district
In office
January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by Chuck Schumer
Succeeded by José Serrano
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 19th district
In office
January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1983
Preceded by Bella Abzug
Succeeded by Mario Biaggi
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 18th district
In office
January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1973
Preceded by Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Succeeded by Ed Koch
Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 4, 2007
Preceded by Bill Thomas
Born June 11, 1930 (1930-06-11) (age 79)
New York City, New York
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Alma Rangel
Residence Manhattan, New York City, New York
Alma mater New York University, St. John's University School of Law
Occupation attorney
Religion Roman Catholic
Military service
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service 1948–1952
Rank staff sergeant
Unit 2nd Infantry Division (503rd Artillery Battalion)
Battles/wars Korean War
Awards Purple Heart
Bronze Star

Charles Bernard "Charlie" Rangel (born June 11, 1930)[1], (pronounced /ˈræŋɡəl/[2]) is an American politician. He has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1971, representing the Fifteenth Congressional District of New York. Rangel's district, the smallest in the country in geographic size, encompasses Upper Manhattan and includes such neighborhoods as Harlem, Spanish Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, Morningside Heights, and part of the Upper West Side, as well as a small portion of Queens in the neighborhood of Astoria. In January 2007, he became chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Rangel is the most senior member of New York's congressional delegation. He is the first African-American to chair the committee. Rangel earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service in the Korean War.

On September 24, 2008, the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into Rangel's alleged failure to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in rental income or pay taxes on a beach rental property in the Dominican Republic, allegedly living in multiple rent-stabilized apartments in New York City while claiming his Washington, D.C. home as his primary residence for tax purposes, alleged use of congressional stationery to solicit donors for a public policy institute in his name at City College, and other alleged questionable activities.[3]

On June 26, 2009, Bloomberg News reported on Chairman Rangel's role in the Diageo Rum Bailout.[4]

On September 1, 2009, the Chicago Tribune reported on Chairman Rangel's lack of action on pending legislation that would prevent $2.9 billion of U.S. Tax dollars from going to British concern Diageo.[5] On September 2, 2009, the L.A. Times reported on Chairman Rangel's association with a deal to give $2.8 billion of U.S. Tax dollars to Diageo to make rum in the U.S. Virgin Islands.[6] On September 20, 2009, the Associated Press reported on Chairman Rangel's ethics problems.[7] On October 6, 2009, the Washington Times reported on the campaign contributions Chairman Rangel received related to the $2.8 billion rum deal he supports.[8]

On November 12th, 2009, The Hill reported on Chairman Rangel's involvement in stopping legislation (H.R. 2122) that prevents $3.9 billion in rum bailouts from being voted on in the Ways and Means Committee. [9]

Contents

Early life, military service, and education

Charles Bernard Rangel was born in Harlem in New York City, the second of three children.[1] His family was Roman Catholic. His father Ralph Rangel , Sr. (January 6, 1900–?) was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico.[10][11] His mother Blanche Mary Wharton (March 20, 1904–March 6, 1995)[12] worked as a maid and as a seamstress in a factory in New York's Garment District.[13][14] Rangel's father was a frequently absent, unemployed man who was abusive to his wife and who left the family when his son was six years old.[14] Rangel did well in elementary and middle school,[1] and began working at a neighorhood drug store at the age of eight.[14] Rangel then attended DeWitt Clinton High School,[13] but was often truant and was sometimes driven home by the police.[14] An early role model, his maternal grandfather who worked in a courthouse and knew many judges and lawyers, kept him from getting into more serious trouble.[14] Rangel dropped out at age 16 during his junior year and worked in various menial jobs, including selling shoes.[13][14][15]

Rangel then enlisted in the United States Army, and served from 1948 to 1952.[16] During the Korean War, he was a member of the all-black 503rd Field Artillery Battalion in the 2nd Infantry Division.[17] In late November 1950, this unit was caught up in heavy fighting in North Korea as part of the U.N. forces retreat from the Yalu River. In the Battle of Kunu-Ri, Rangel was part of a vehicle column that was trapped and attacked by the Chinese Army.[17] In the subzero cold, Rangel was injured by shrapnel from a Chinese shell.[18] Some U.S. soldiers were being taken prisoner, but others looked to Rangel, who though only a private first class had a reputation for leadership in the unit. Rangel led some 40 men from his unit, during three days of freezing weather, out of the Chinese encirclement; nearly half of the battalion was killed in the overall battle.[19] Rangel was awarded a Purple Heart for his wounds and the Bronze Star with Valor for his actions in the face of death.[20] He was also awarded the Presidential Unit Citation,[21] the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, and three battle stars.[20] In 2000, Rangel reflected with CBS News that "Since Kunu Ri – and I mean it with all my heart, I have never, never had a bad day."[17]

Rangel would later view his time in the Army, away from the poverty of his youth, as a major turning point in his life: "When I was exposed to a different life, even if that life was just the Army, I knew damn well I couldn't get back to the same life I had left."[22] After an honorable discharge from the Army at the rank of staff sergeant,[16] he returned home to headlines in The New York Amsterdam News.[14] Rangel finished high school, completing two years of studies in one year and graduating in 1953.[13] Rangel then received a B.S. from the New York University School of Commerce in 1957, where he made the dean's list,[16] and, on full scholarship, obtained a Juris Doctor from St. John's University School of Law in 1960.[23]

Rangel is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African-Americans. He is a member of the fraternity's World Policy Council, a think tank whose purpose is to expand Alpha Phi Alpha's involvement in politics and social and current policy to encompass international concerns.[24]

Early legal and political career

After graduating law school, Rangel passed the state bar exam and was hired by Weaver, Evans & Wingate, the city's most prominent black law firm.[25] Rangel made little money in private practice, but did get a positive reputation for providing legal assistance to black civil rights activists.[13] In 1961, Rangel was appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York by U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy,[13] working under U.S. Attorney Robert Morgenthau. He stayed in that position for a year.[13]

Following that, Rangel was legal counsel to the New York Housing and Redevelopment Board,[26] associate counsel to the Speaker of the New York State Assembly,[26] a law clerk to pioneering Judge James L. Watson,[27] and general counsel to the National Advisory Commission on Selective Service (1966).[28] His interest in politics grew with these roles;[29] he ran but lost for party district leader during an intense Democratic factional dispute in Harlem in 1963.[30] In 1964, Rangel and the man who would become his political mentor, New York State Assemblyman Percy Sutton, co-founded the John F. Kennedy Democratic Club in Harlem[13] (later renamed the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Democratic Club).[26]

Rangel met Alma Carter, a social worker, in the mid-late-1950s while on the dance floor of the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem.[14] They married on July 26, 1964.[29] They have two children, Steven and Alicia, and three grandsons.[29]

Rangel participated in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, marching for four days even though he had planned only a brief appearance.[16] He developed what The New York Times would label his irrepressible energy and joking self-mockery during this period in his life.[16]

Rangel was selected by Harlem Democrats to run for the New York State Assembly in 1966, representing the 72nd Legislative District in Central Harlem, after incumbent Sutton was named Manhattan Borough President.[31] Rangel was victorious and served two two-year terms there.[13] He emerged as a leader among the black legislators in the state, and also became politically friendly with Governor of New York Nelson Rockefeller, who arranged for Rangel to run on the Republican as well as Democratic ballot line during his 1968 re-election.[13] Rangel supported legalization of the numbers game, saying "For the average Harlemite, playing numbers ... is moral and a way of life."[16] He also opposed harsher penalties on prostitutes, on grounds of ineffectiveness.[16] He was strongly concerned by the effects of drugs on Harlem, advocated that drug pushers be held accountable for the crimes committed by their users, and in general believed the problem was at the level of a threat to national security.[32][33]

In 1969, Rangel ran for the Democratic nomination for New York City Council President; in a tumultuous race that featured sportswriter Jimmy Breslin as mayoral candidate Norman Mailer's running mate, Rangel came in last in a field of six candidates.[34]

In 1970, Rangel ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives, challenging long-time incumbent Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. in the Democratic primary in New York's 18th congressional district.[13] Powell had been an iconic, charismatic, and flamboyant figure[1][13] who had become embroiled in an ethics controversy in 1967, lost his seat, then regained it in 1969 due to the U.S. Supreme Court decision Powell v. McCormack.[35] In a field of five candidates, Rangel focused his criticism on Powell's frequent absences from Congress.[1] In the June primary, Rangel defeated Powell by 150 votes out of around 25,000.[13] Powell tried to take legal action to overturn the result, claiming over a thousand ballots were improper,[33] but was unsuccessful; he also failed to get on the ballot as an independent. With both Democratic and Republican backing, Rangel won the November 1970 general election – against a Liberal Party candidate and several others – with 88 percent of the vote.[13]

U.S. House of Representatives

Rangel has won re-election every two years since, often with over 90% of the vote.[36] His district was numbered the Eighteenth District from 1971 to 1973; the Nineteenth District from 1973 to 1983; and the Sixteenth District from 1983 to 1993.

In Congress, Rangel's first committee assignment was on the House Judiciary Committee where he participated in the impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon.

Rangel co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus, where he has also served as chairman, and of which he continues to be a member.

In late 1998, when longtime New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan announced his retirement, Rangel was one of the first to advocate that then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton move to New York and run for the seat,[37] which she did successfully. He later supported her 2008 presidential campaign.[38]

In August 2006, Rangel had stated he would resign his seat if the Democrats did not take the House that November, which they did.[39]

As of January 2007, Rangel is the Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means and Chairman of the Board of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He is currently the fourth-longest serving Democratic House member, behind John Dingell, John Conyers and Dave Obey.

Committee assignments

Political views

Rangel is generally thought of as an ideologically committed liberal, but also someone who can be a pragmatic deal-maker. In particular, he is known for support of free trade agreements.[36]

The draft

Rangel has repeatedly called for the government to bring back the draft. Speaking in 2006, Rangel stated, "There's no question in my mind that this president and this administration would never have invaded Iraq, especially on the flimsy evidence that was presented to the Congress, if indeed we had a draft and members of Congress and the administration thought that their kids from their communities would be placed in harm's way."[40]

He has also argued that reinstating the draft is a way to make the military more representative of the American public at large. "A disproportionate number of the poor and members of minority groups make up the enlisted ranks of the military, while most priv­ileged Americans are underrepresented or absent."[41] In 2003, Rangel introduced HR 163; legislation that would draft both men and women between the ages of 18-26 starting as early as June 2005. It was defeated 402-3 the following year in the House of Representatives, with Rangel voting against his own bill.[42]

In November 2006, he outlined his proposed bill to reinstate the draft. The bill, H.R. 393 (2007), if passed, would require a draft of all men and women in the United States between the ages of 18-42. Polls show 70% of Americans oppose a reinstatement of the draft.[43] In an interview on Face the Nation, Rangel emphasized that people could fulfill their draft obligations through non-military services, such as port and airline security.[44]

Foreign policy

Rangel was instrumental in securing American materiel support for Israel during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. According to fellow Congressman Jerrold Nadler D-NY, who worked on Rangel's first campaign in 1970 and who credited Rangel with helping to support Israel in 1973:

Before the Six Day War in 1967, the United States was not an arms supplier to Israel. When the Yom Kippur War broke out, people said not to supply Israel. Charlie insisted that we have to. If not for those Phantom jets, the war might have turned out different.[45]

Human and civil rights actions

In the 1980s, Rangel was arrested for participating in an anti-apartheid rally in front of the South African Embassy in Washington.[46]

On March 15, 1999, the Congressman was arrested along with two other prominent African-American leaders (civil rights activist Al Sharpton and former Mayor David Dinkins), for protesting the fatal shooting of Amadou Diallo, a 23-year-old immigrant to the United States from Guinea, by four white and Hispanic New York City police officers.[47] The involved officers were later acquitted by a mixed-race jury.

On July 13, 2004, he was the first of three sitting US House members to be arrested on trespassing charges, for protesting alleged human rights abuses in Sudan in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington. Later in the week of July 13, 2004, Congressman Bobby Rush of Illinois and Congressman Joe Hoeffel of Pennsylvania were also arrested there.

Controversial remarks

On September 22, 2005, Rangel compared Republican President George W. Bush to Bull Connor, the former Public Safety Commissioner of Birmingham, Alabama, stating: "George Bush is our Bull Connor." In response, Vice President Dick Cheney, during an interview on the Rush Limbaugh radio program on October 3, 2005, stated: "I'm frankly surprised at his comments. It almost struck me — they were so out of line, it almost struck me that there was some — Charlie was having some problem. Charlie is losing it, I guess." Rangel responded by saying, "The fact that he would make a crack at my age, he ought to be ashamed of himself...He should look so good at 75."[48]

Along with John Conyers, in April 2006 Rangel brought an action against George W. Bush and others alleging violations of the Constitution in the passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.[49] The case (Conyers v. Bush) was ultimately dismissed.[50]

In response to Hugo Chávez addressing the United Nations General Assembly on September 20, 2006 and implying that Bush was the devil, Rangel said, "I want President Chávez to please understand that even though many people in the United States are critical of our president that we resent the fact that he would come to the United States and criticize President Bush... you don't come into my country, you don't come into my congressional district and you don't condemn my president."[51]

Rangel again expressed his displeasure with Vice President Cheney on October 30, 2006, by opining that Cheney is "a real son of a bitch" who "enjoys a confrontation." He also suggested that Cheney requires professional treatment for mental defects.[52]

On November 9, 2006, Rangel, in announcing some of his plans as new chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he planned to push more funds into his home state of New York. He added to this, "Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?" Mississippi Rep. Chip Pickering demanded an apology and Rangel issued a statement declaring: "I certainly don't mean to offend anyone. I just love New York so much that I can't understand why everyone wouldn't want to live here."[53]

On November 26, 2006, appearing on the television show Fox News Sunday, Rangel stated: "If a young fellow has an option of having a decent career, or joining the Army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq".[54]

During the China-U.S trade talks of March 2007, Rangel and Louisiana Republican Jim McCrery committed a gaffe when they accidentally insulted the Republic of China by referring to the People's Republic of China's Vice Premier, Wu Yi, as the Vice Premier of The Republic of China in a letter. The Republic of China is a name for the self-ruling government on the island of Taiwan, which the PRC considers a rogue province.[55]

Rangel has been harshly criticized by free trade opponents for his support of the Peru and Panama Free Trade Agreements negotiated by the United States Trade Representative under President Bush. On October 1, 2007, the New York City People's Referendum on Free Trade held a protest at his Harlem office, accusing him of killing people with AIDS, displacing small farmers and indigenous people, increasing cocaine production, driving forced immigration, destroying the Peruvian Amazon, and promoting factory farm expansion with this support of the Peru agreement.

In October 2007, Rangel criticized Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani's personal life during an interview by Wolf Blitzer on CNN. Rangel stated "Two people, six spouses. It's a little complicated if you're not religious, especially if you're running against a Mormon." Rangel's comment was perceived by some[citation needed] as an attack on the Mormon religion, hinting that they still practice polygamy (which has not been a mainstream Mormon practice for over 100 years), and brought about criticism and demands for an apology. Rangel apologized for his statement. According to a congressional press release, he said "I was recently quoted being very critical of Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s personal life. I wish I could say those comments were taken out of context, but I cannot. I apologize to him and his family.”[56]

In September 2008, while being interviewed by Marcia Kramer on WCBS-TV, Rangel said of Alaska Governor and Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, "You got to be kind to the disabled." When Kramer pressed him on whether he really thought she was disabled, Rangel replied, "There's no question about it politically. It's a nightmare to think that a person's foreign policy is based on their ability to look at Russia from where they live" -- a reference to the apocryphal story that Palin stated, "I can see Russia from my house" when queried as to her foreign policy credentials. Republican Congressman Pete King of Long Island demanded that Rangel apologize, especially given that Palin's five month old son, Trig, suffered from down syndrome, saying, "Charlie owes a sincere apology to Sarah Palin and the entire disabled community. All of us know parents who have disabled children or relatives, so from any perspective this was wrong, wrong, wrong." Carr Massi, the president of Disabled in Action also criticized Rangel saying, "I am not one of her fans, but I don't like the idea he referred to the woman as disabled. I mean he is talking about her politics - that word has no place there." Rangel suggested later in an interview with the Daily News that his comments were aimed at her thin foreign policy background and dismissed suggestions that he was talking about her newborn son as ridiculous.[57]

On March 9, 2009, when asked on camera by Hot Air TV producer Jason Mattera about his continuing tax issues, Rangel replied, "Why don't you mind your own goddamn business."[58]

On May 30, 2009, when asked by the Daily News what President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama should do during a visit to New York City, Rangel replied, "Make certain he doesn't run around in East Harlem unidentified." Rangel said this following the accidental shooting of African-American NYPD officer Omar Edwards by a fellow caucasian officer Andrew Dunton, an incident of mistaken identity.[59] The comment was criticized by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg saying, "I have a lot of respect for Charlie Rangel, but in this case, he's just plain wrong. This was a tragedy. Our police department is diverse, and they train; sometimes things happen and they're inexplicable. There's no reason to suspect this had any racial overtones."[60] Rangel apologized for the comment in a statement on June 1 saying, "It was entirely inappropriate to bring the President and his wife into this discussion during their visit to New York and I hope my off-the-cuff comment did not cause embarrassment to anyone."[61]

On September 1, 2009, Rangel injected race into the health care reform debate at a forum in Washington Heights, accusing opponents of the President's reform proposal of racism saying, "Some Americans have not gotten over the fact that Obama is president of the United States. They go to sleep wondering, 'How did this happen?'" He went on to say that when critics object to Obama "trying to interfere" with their lives by pushing for health care reform, "then you know there's just a misunderstanding, a bias, a prejudice, an emotional feeling. We're going to have to move forward notwithstanding that." He also compared the battle over health care expansion for the uninsured to the fight for civil rights saying, "Why do we have to wait for the right to vote? Why can't we get what God has given us? That is the right to live as human beings and not negotiate with white southerners and not count the votes. Just do the right thing."[62]

2008–2009 ethics investigations and tax controversies

In July 2008, Rangel asked the House Ethics Committee to determine if his use of a Congressional letterhead while seeking to arrange meetings in which recipients of the letters would be solicited for contributions for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at the City College of New York had violated any House rules.[63]

The New York Times reported on July 10, 2008 that Rangel rents four apartments in the Lenox Terrace complex in Harlem at below-market rates. The newspaper reported that Rangel paid $3,894 monthly for all four apartments in 2007, but that the going rate for similar apartments offered by the landlord in that building would be as high as $8,125 monthly. Three adjacent apartments on the 16th floor were combined to make up his 2,500-square-foot (230 m2) home; a fourth unit on the 10th floor is used as a campaign office, even though that violates city and state regulations that require rent-stabilized apartments to be used as a primary residence. The apartments are in a building owned by the Olnick Organization. Rangel received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from one of the company’s owners, according to The Times. Rangel told the newspaper his rent does not affect his representation of his constituents.

A Congressional ethics experts cited by The Times indicated that the difference in rent between what Rangel was paying and market rates on the second, third and fourth apartments he rented, an estimated $30,000 per year, could be construed as a gift as the savings is granted at the discretion of the landlord and is not offered to the public at large; if this should be treated as a gift, it would exceed the $100 limit established by the House of Representatives.[64] In late July, the House voted 254 to 138 to table a resolution submitted by Minority Leader John Boehner that would have censured Rangel for having "dishonored himself and brought discredit to the House" by occupying the four apartments.[65]

Rangel was also accused of failing to report income from the rental of a villa he owns in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, a three-bedroom, three-bath unit that has been rented out for as much as $1,100 per night in the busiest tourist season, from mid-December to mid-April.[66] Labor lawyer Theodore Kheel, one of the principal investors in the resort development company and a frequent campaign contributor to Rangel, had encouraged the congressman to purchase the beachside villa. Rangel had purchased the unit in 1988 for $82,750 and financed $53,737.50 of the purchase price for seven years at a rate of 10.5%, but was one of several early investors who had interest payments waived in 1990.[67] In September 2008, Lanny Davis, Rangel's attorney, disclosed that Rangel had failed to report $75,000 in income he had received for renting the condo on his tax returns or in congressional disclosure forms. His accountants were calculating the amounts owed and would be filing amended city, state and federal tax returns to cover the liability for back taxes.[68].

A September 14, 2008 editorial in The New York Times called for Rangel to temporarily step down from his chairmanship, stating that "Mounting embarrassment for taxpayers and Congress makes it imperative that Representative Charles Rangel step aside as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee while his ethical problems are investigated."[69]

Additional accounting discrepancies were disclosed on September 15, 2008, including omission in Rangel's financial reports of details regarding the sale of a home he once owned on Colorado Avenue in Washington, DC, discrepancies in the value listed for a property he owns in Sunny Isles, Florida (varying from $50,000 to $100,000 all the way up to $500,000), and inconsistencies in investment fund reporting. While Republican leaders have called for his removal from his role as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee which plays a pivotal role in shaping tax law, Rangel has stated that there is no justification for his removal. "I owed my colleagues and the public adherence to a higher standard of care not only as a member of Congress but even more as the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee," he said. He also stated that the mistakes were errors of omission that would not justify loss of his position.[70]

An article in the September 18, 2008 New York Post states, "Rep. Charles Rangel has been using a House of Representatives parking garage for years as free storage space for his old Mercedes-Benz - a violation of congressional rules and a potential new tax woe for the embattled lawmaker... House rules forbid use of the garage for long-term storage more than 45 days - and congressional aides told The Post that Rangel's car has been sitting there for years. A House Web site on parking regulations informs anyone with a space that, under IRS regulations, the benefit of the free parking is considered 'imputed income' and must be declared to the government. The spaces are valued by the House at $290 per month. In addition to the storage issue, the vehicle... runs afoul of other rules set forth on the House Web site because it does not have license plates and does not display a current House parking permit." [71]

In September 2008 Rangel paid back taxes of $10,800, owed from rental income on his Dominican villa.[72] Rangel acknowledged that he had failed to declare $75,000 in rental income from his beachfront villa on his tax returns; he had owed back taxes for at least three years. Rangel is the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which writes the United States tax code and as such his failure to pay taxes himself came under heavy criticism.[72]

On September 24, 2008, the House Ethics Committee announced that it would start an investigation to determine whether Rangel "violated the Code of Official Conduct, or any law, rule, regulation or other standard of conduct applicable to his conduct in the performance of his duties." CBS 2 News reported that the investigation would also explore "Rangel's use of four rent-stabilized apartments leased in the Lenox Terrace apartment complex in Harlem, the financing of the beachfront villa leased in the Dominican Republic, and his questionable storage of a late-model Mercedes Benz in the House garage."[73]

On November 23, 2008, the New York Post reported that Rangel took a "homestead" tax break on his Washington, DC house for years while simultaneously occupying multiple New York City rent-stabilized apartments, "possibly violating laws and regulations in both cases."[74]

In late November 2008, Republican members of Congress asked the House Ethics Committee to look into Rangel's defense of a tax shelter loophole that allows tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks for a company which has donated $1 million to the City College of New York school named after Rangel; under the loophole approved by Rangel's Ways and Means Committee, Nabors Industries has been allowed to open a small outlet in Bermuda and call itself a foreign corporation.[3] Rangel denied the charges.[3] In 2004, he had led the opposition to the tax breaks.[3] Nabors' CEO, Eugene Isenberg, said that the company's September 2006 donation was unrelated to what he calls Rangel's promise to him to oppose the closing of the loophole after a meeting in February 2007.[3] Isenberg gave a further $100,000 to the Rangel Center five days prior to that meeting.[3] Nabors was one of four companies which benefited from the loophole.[3][75]

The House Ethics Committee voted on December 9, 2008 to expand its investigation of Rangel to examine his role in the Isenberg matter.[76] Isenberg subsequently denied there was any quid pro quo and called a New York Times article about it "full of malarkey".[77]

In December 2008, it surfaced that Rangel paid $80,000 in campaign funds to an Internet company run by his son for the creation of his PAC website.[78] Screenshots of the website have circulated showing grave misspellings and other errors on the site.[79]

In January 2009, Representative John R. Carter introduced the Rangel Rule Act of 2009 (H.R. 735), a tongue-in-cheek proposal that would allow all taxpayers to not pay penalties and interest on back taxes, in reference to Rangel not yet having paid them.[80]

In August 2009, Rangel amended his 2007 financial disclosure form to report more than $500,000 in previously unreported assets and income, which effectively doubles his reported net worth. On September 3, 2009 the Washington Post called on Rangel to resign his chairmanship. [81] Unreported assets included a federal credit union checking account of between $250,000 and $500,000, several investment accounts, stock in Yum! Brands and PepsiCo, and property in Glassboro, New Jersey.[81] Rangel also did not pay property taxes on two of his New Jersey properties.[81]

Legislation sponsored by Rangel

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  78. ^ http://change-congress.org/blog/2008/12/05/around-horn
  79. ^ http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2008/12/05/annals-of-embarrassing-decisions/
  80. ^ Twittering over 'Rangel Rule', Politico, January 29, 2009
  81. ^ a b c Editorial. “The Absent-Minded Chairman”, The Wall Street Journal, August 28, 2009.

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New York Assembly
Preceded by
S. William Green		 New York State Assembly, 72nd District
1967–1970		 Succeeded by
George W. Miller
Political offices
Preceded by
Bill Thomas
California		 Chairman of House Ways and Means Committee
2007–Present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
United States House of Representatives
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Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 18th congressional district
1971–1973		 Succeeded by
Edward I. Koch
Preceded by
Bella Abzug		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 19th congressional district
1973–1983		 Succeeded by
Mario Biaggi
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Charles E. Schumer		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 16th congressional district
1983–1993		 Succeeded by
Jose Serrano
Preceded by
S. William Green		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 15th congressional district
1993–		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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Bill Young
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