Former longtime New York City Congressman and civil rights leader Charlie Rangel died Monday at the age of 94, NBC New York has learned.
His family confirmed the death in a statement provided to the City College of New York, according to a spokesperson for the college, where Rangel served as Statesman-in-Residence since leaving Congress.
Once known as the “Lion of Lenox Avenue,” Rangel served as a representative for five different congressional districts in Harlem from 1971 until 2017. At the time of his retirement, he was the second-longest serving incumbent member of the House. His 46 years spent as a congressman was the 10th-most in U.S. history as of 2025.
Rangel was the last surviving members of the so-called “Gang of Four,” a group that comprised some of the most powerful Black men in the state. That group also included former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, State Sen. Basil Paterson and Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton.
A Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient, Rangel served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
Born in Harlem, Rangel graduated from New York University and St. John’s School of Law before becoming an assistant U.S. Attorney. He later served two terms in the New York State Assembly from 1967-1971. He then unseated longtime Harlem Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in a primary challenge en route to his election to Congress.
During his time in Washington serving what is now New York’s 13th District, Rangel was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, became dean of the New York Congressional delegation, and in 2007, was the first African-American to chair the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He was also the primary sponsor to then-President Barack Obama’s health care reform law, now commonly known as Obamacare.
Among the 40 bills and resolutions he sponsored that became law was the “Rangel Amendment,” which helped bring an end to apartheid in South Africa.
He stepped down from the Ways and Means Committee amid an ethics cloud, and the House later censured him. But he was reelected and went on to serve in Congress until 2017.
After leaving politics, he launched the Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Initiative at City College, looking to boost infrastructure jobs in upper Manhattan and the Bronx, the school said in a statement.
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