Charles Bernard Rangel is an American politician who was a US representative for districts in New York from 1971 to 2017.
160 Facts About Charles Rangel
2.
Charles Rangel is a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
3.
Charles Rangel was born in Harlem in Upper Manhattan and lives there to this day.
4.
Charles Rangel earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service in the US Army during the Korean War, where he led a group of soldiers out of a deadly Chinese army encirclement during the Battle of Kunu-ri in 1950.
5.
Charles Rangel graduated from New York University in 1957 and St John's University School of Law in 1960.
6.
Charles Rangel worked as a private lawyer, assistant US attorney, and legal counsel during the early-mid-1960s.
7.
Charles Rangel served two terms in the New York State Assembly from 1967 to 1971 and defeated long-time incumbent Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
8.
Charles Rangel rose rapidly in the Democratic ranks in the House, combining solidly liberal views with a pragmatic style towards finding political and legislative compromises.
9.
Charles Rangel played a significant role in the creation of the 1995 Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation and the national Empowerment Zone Act, which helped change the economic face of Harlem and other inner-city areas.
10.
Charles Rangel is known both for his genial manner, with an ability to win over fellow legislators, and for his blunt speaking; he has long been outspoken about his views and has been arrested several times as part of political demonstrations.
11.
Charles Rangel was a strong opponent of the George W Bush administration and the Iraq War, and he put forth proposals to reinstate the draft during the 2000s.
12.
The House Ethics Committee focused on whether Charles Rangel improperly rented multiple rent-stabilized New York apartments, improperly used his office in raising money for the Charles Rangel Center at the City College of New York, and failed to disclose rental income from his villa in the Dominican Republic.
13.
In March 2010, Charles Rangel stepped aside as the Ways and Means Chair.
14.
Charles Rangel did not run for re-election in 2016 and left office in January 2017.
15.
Charles Rangel was born in Harlem in New York City on June 11,1930.
16.
Charles Rangel was the second of three children, with an older brother Ralph Jr.
17.
Ralph Rangel sometimes worked as a laborer in a garage, but he was mostly a frequently absent, unemployed man who was abusive to his wife and who left the family when Charles was six years old.
18.
Charles Rangel was raised by his mother, who worked as a maid and as a seamstress in a factory in New York's Garment District, and by his maternal grandfather.
19.
Charles Rangel did well in elementary and middle school, and he began working at a neighborhood drug store at the age of eight.
20.
Charles Rangel attended DeWitt Clinton High School, but he was often truant and was sometimes driven home by the police.
21.
Charles Rangel dropped out at age 16 during his junior year and worked in various low-paying jobs including selling shoes.
22.
Charles Rangel then enlisted in the United States Army and served from 1948 to 1952.
23.
The eerie blare of Chinese night-fighting bugle calls and communication flares piercing the freezing air led to what Charles Rangel later described as a "waking nightmare, scene by scene, and we couldn't see any possible way out of the situation".
24.
Charles Rangel later wrote that the blast threw him into a ditch, causing him to pray fervently to Jesus.
25.
Charles Rangel led some 40 men from his unit over the mountain during the night and out of the Chinese encirclement.
26.
Charles Rangel was treated first at a field hospital, then moved to a general hospital well behind the lines in South Korea where he recuperated.
27.
Charles Rangel eventually returned to regular duty, then was rotated back to the US in July 1951.
28.
Charles Rangel was awarded a Purple Heart for his wounds, the Bronze Star with Valor for his actions in the face of death, and three battle stars.
29.
In 2000, Charles Rangel reflected on the experience in a CBS News interview:.
30.
Charles Rangel finished high school, completing two years of studies in one year.
31.
Bill Charles Rangel received a Bachelor of Science degree from the New York University School of Commerce in 1957, where he made the dean's list.
32.
Charles Rangel 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.
33.
Charles Rangel made little money in private practice, but did build a positive reputation for providing legal assistance to black civil rights activists.
34.
In 1961, Rangel was appointed Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York by US Attorney General Robert F Kennedy and worked under US Attorney Robert M Morgenthau.
35.
Charles Rangel met Alma Carter, a social worker, in the mid-late-1950s while on the dance floor of the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem.
36.
Charles Rangel ran for party district leader and lost during an intense Democratic factional dispute in Harlem in 1963.
37.
Charles Rangel participated in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, marching for four days even though he had planned only a brief appearance.
38.
Charles Rangel developed what The New York Times would label his irrepressible energy and joking style of self-mockery during this time.
39.
Charles Rangel was selected in September 1966 by Harlem Democrats to run in the 72nd District for the New York State Assembly, after the incumbent Percy Sutton had been elected by the New York City Council members from Manhattan as Manhattan Borough President to fill the vacancy caused by the appointment of Constance Baker Motley as a federal judge.
40.
Charles Rangel was victorious, serving in the 177th and 178th New York State Legislatures until 1970.
41.
Charles Rangel emerged as a leader among the black legislators in the state and 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.
42.
Charles Rangel 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.
43.
In 1969, Charles Rangel ran for the Democratic nomination for New York City Council President.
44.
In 1970, Charles Rangel ran for election to the US House of Representatives, challenging long-time incumbent Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
45.
Charles Rangel won re-election every two years until his retirement, usually with over 90 percent of the vote and often with more than 95 percent.
46.
Charles Rangel did face a mid-career primary challenge in 1994 when two-term New York City Councilman Adam Clayton Powell IV was his opponent and held Rangel to 58 percent of the vote.
47.
Charles Rangel then faced strong primary challenges from 2010 on during and after his ethics troubles.
48.
Charles Rangel's district was numbered the Eighteenth District from 1971 to 1973; the Nineteenth District from 1973 to 1983; the Sixteenth District from 1983 to 1993; and the Fifteenth from 1993 to 2013.
49.
Early 1970s reapportionment led to the area Charles Rangel represented being only 65 percent black, and by 1979 it was 50 percent black, 30 percent white, and 20 percent Puerto Rican.
50.
Charles Rangel was an original member when the Congressional Black Caucus was formed in 1971.
51.
Charles Rangel remained a member of the caucus for the duration of his time in office.
52.
Charles Rangel created controversy in New York City by accusing some members of the New York Police Department of cooperating with drug pushers.
53.
Charles Rangel consistently backed Israel, including objecting to an anti-Israeli resolution adopted at the National Black Political Convention in 1972 and urging black Americans to support the civil rights of Soviet Jews in 1975.
54.
In other respects Charles Rangel opposed foreign interventions and military spending, voting against bombing in Cambodia, and against funding for the B-1 bomber and supercarriers.
55.
Charles Rangel received both national attention and respect for his well-informed questioning style during the hearings.
56.
Charles Rangel was prominent in questioning Governor Rockefeller on his role in handling the Attica Prison riot during Rockefeller's vice presidential confirmation hearing.
57.
Charles Rangel rose rapidly in the House, due to his political skills, hard work, knowledge of legislative matters, and genial manner.
58.
Charles Rangel built alliances with others in Congress, with people in governmental agencies, and with the Carter administration.
59.
In some cases Charles Rangel was criticized for being too pragmatic, such as when he switched his position on natural gas deregulation; Charles Rangel denied that he did so in exchange for the authorization of a new federal building in Harlem.
60.
Besides his increasing influence in Washington, by the late 1970s Charles Rangel was New York City's leading black political figure.
61.
Charles Rangel became a protege of Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill who made him Deputy Majority Whip later that year.
62.
Charles Rangel was one of the city's most recognizable politicians and there was speculation that he would run for mayor in 1985, but Charles Rangel preferred to remain in the House, with the goal of eventually becoming Ways and Means chairman and in the best case even House Speaker.
63.
Indeed, Charles Rangel never showed any interest in a different political job other than being the Congressman from Harlem.
64.
In 1983, Charles Rangel became chair of the Select Committee on Narcotics solidifying his position as a leading strategist on an issue perennially important to him.
65.
Charles Rangel kept the committee going in the face of usual pressure to disband special committees.
66.
Charles Rangel battled against proposed cutbacks in the federal anti-drug budget, advocating for increased grants to states and cities for better shelters for the homeless.
67.
Charles Rangel's amendments providing increased funding for state and local law enforcement and were included in the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986.
68.
Charles Rangel believed that legalizing drugs would represent "moral and political suicide".
69.
Charles Rangel did not refrain from criticizing those most affected by drugs, saying that Hispanic and black teenagers had no sense of self-preservation, and that drug dealers were so stupid they had to eat in fast-food places because they could not read a menu.
70.
The Washington Post said Charles Rangel was "in a powerful position to shape policy on an issue at the top of the nation's agenda".
71.
Charles Rangel would remain as chair of the committee through 1993, when it was abolished along with other House select committees.
72.
Charles Rangel authored the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit portion of the bill, which increased affordable housing in the US He played a key role in preserving the deductibility of state and local income taxes.
73.
Charles Rangel asserted that while beneficiaries of tax reform were not well organized, business interests opposed to it were.
74.
In December 1984, Charles Rangel was arrested for participating in an anti-apartheid rally in front of the South African Consulate in New York.
75.
Charles Rangel successfully pushed to have foreign tax credits removed for corporations doing business in that country, a 1987 act that became known as the "Charles Rangel Amendment".
76.
In 1993 Charles Rangel was a key sponsor of increases to the Earned Income Tax Credit that passed.
77.
Charles Rangel did become the ranking Democrat of the committee in 1996.
78.
Charles Rangel was bitterly opposed to the Republican Contract With America, considering it an assault on America's poor, and strongly criticized Democrats such as President Bill Clinton and religious leaders such as John Cardinal O'Connor for perpetuating "the silence of good people" that he likened to what happened in Nazi Germany.
79.
When Charles Rangel made a similar allusion directed at new Ways and Means chair Bill Archer in 1995, Archer refused to speak to him for several years except at public meetings.
80.
Charles Rangel strongly opposed the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, accusing Clinton of supporting it for political reasons and predicting its consequences would cast a million children into poverty.
81.
Charles Rangel played a specific role in the creation of the 1995 Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation, which led to a $500 million spending of public and private monies towards changing the face of Harlem, including gentrification effects.
82.
Charles Rangel served on the corporation's board, and the effort was credited with helping the resurgence of Harlem that took place during the 1990s.
83.
In late 1998, when long-time Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York announced his retirement, Charles Rangel was one of the first to advocate that First Lady Hillary Clinton move to New York and run for the seat.
84.
In October 1998, New York State Attorney General Dennis Vacco filed a lawsuit charging the directors of the foundation behind New York's Apollo Theater, including foundation chair Charles Rangel, with failing to collect more than $4 million owed it by a company controlled by Percy Sutton that produced the television program It's Showtime at the Apollo.
85.
Charles Rangel had an unproductive relationship with Ways and Means chairman Bill Thomas, leading to an incident in which Thomas called the United States Capitol Police on Charles Rangel for having his members read a bill in the library, an action for which Thomas apologized.
86.
Charles Rangel sponsored the African Growth and Opportunity Act, passed in 2000, despite the opposition of labor unions, the textile industry, and the Congressional Black Caucus.
87.
Indeed, Charles Rangel became known for support of free trade agreements, in contrast to many House Democrats.
88.
Charles Rangel's intent was to help those in New York industries affected by the events.
89.
In July 2004, Charles Rangel was the first of three sitting US House members to be arrested on trespassing charges, for protesting human rights abuses in Sudan in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington.
90.
Charles Rangel has been long been opposed to the all-volunteer army and repeatedly called for the government to bring back the draft.
91.
In 2003, Charles Rangel said that "A disproportionate number of the poor and members of minority groups make up the enlisted ranks of the military, while the most privileged Americans are underrepresented or absent," and that a draft would make the military more representative of the American public at large.
92.
Charles Rangel introduced versions of his Universal National Service Act in the House in 2003,2006,2007, and 2010.
93.
Charles Rangel emphasized that people could fulfill their draft obligations through non-military services, such as port and airline security.
94.
The Democrats did take control and in January 2007, Charles Rangel's long wait to head the Ways and Means Committee was over.
95.
Age was not otherwise a factor with Charles Rangel, who worked a scheduled 16 hours a day and looked a good deal younger than he was.
96.
Charles Rangel was able to establish an effective working relationship with ranking member Jim McCrery.
97.
Charles Rangel was an early and strong supporter of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign for the Democratic nomination.
98.
Charles Rangel denied any wrongdoing and asked the US House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, commonly known as the House Ethics Committee, to determine if his use of Congressional letterhead while arranging meetings to solicit contributions for the center had violated any House rules.
99.
Charles Rangel received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from one of the landlords, according to the paper.
100.
Charles Rangel said his rent does not affect his representation of his constituents.
101.
Congressional ethics experts said the difference in rent between what Charles Rangel was paying and market rates, an estimated $30,000 per year, could be construed as a gift, exceeding the $100 House of Representatives gift limit.
102.
In July 2010 the House Ethics Committee ruled that Charles Rangel had committed no violation, since in practice the parking policy was only applied to Congressional staff and not to members themselves.
103.
Charles Rangel was accused of failing to report income from his rental of a beachside villa he owns in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
104.
Labor lawyer Theodore Kheel, a principal investor in the resort development company and frequent campaign contributor to Charles Rangel, had encouraged him to purchase the villa.
105.
That month, Charles Rangel paid $10,800 to cover his liability for the related back taxes.
106.
Charles Rangel had owed back taxes for at least three years.
107.
On September 24,2008, the House Ethics Committee announced that it would investigate whether Charles Rangel had violated its code of conduct or any law or other regulation related to his performance of his duties.
108.
On November 23,2008, The New York Post reported that Charles 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".
109.
In 2004, Charles Rangel had led opposition to the tax breaks.
110.
Charles Rangel denied there was any quid pro quo, and called the article about it "malarkey".
111.
Charles Rangel said The New York Times had ignored facts and explanations, and denied the charges.
112.
On September 15,2008, it was disclosed that: Charles Rangel had omitted from his financial reports details regarding his sale of a Washington, DC home; discrepancies existed in the values he listed for a property he owns in Sunny Isles, Florida ; and inconsistencies appeared in his investment fund reporting.
113.
Charles Rangel said there was no justification for that, as the mistakes were errors of omission, that would not justify loss of his position.
114.
Charles Rangel had not paid property taxes on two of his New Jersey properties which he was required by law to do.
115.
Pelosi, a long-time friend of Charles Rangel's, withheld any possible action against Charles Rangel pending the House Ethics Committee report.
116.
However, Charles Rangel stayed in place and mostly maintained his role in House leadership and policy discussions, including the Obama health care reform plan.
117.
Pelosi said she would not take any action against Charles Rangel pending further committee findings, as his staff had been more at fault and he had not broken any law.
118.
The Ethics Committee continued to investigate the charges against Charles Rangel relating to obtaining rent-stabilized apartments, fundraising, and failure to disclose rental income from his Dominican villa.
119.
On March 3,2010, Charles Rangel said he would take a leave of absence as chair, pending issuance of the Ethics Committee's report.
120.
Pelosi granted his request, but whether such a leave was possible was unclear and the House Speaker pro Tempore said that a resignation had taken place and that Charles Rangel was no longer chair.
121.
On July 22,2010, a bipartisan, four-member investigative subcommittee of the House Ethics Committee indicated it had "substantial reason to believe" that Charles Rangel had violated a range of ethics rules relating to the other charges.
122.
On July 29,2010, Charles Rangel was charged by the committee with 13 counts of violating House rules and federal laws.
123.
Charles Rangel's lawyers continued to insist that he had not intentionally violated any law or regulation, had not handed out political favors, and had not misused his office for personal financial gain.
124.
Charles Rangel suggested that Andrew Cuomo's primary run in the 2010 gubernatorial election against incumbent David Paterson, who was the first African American governor of New York, would undo years of work that Cuomo spent rebuilding his standing in the state Democratic Party after his bruising 2002 gubernatorial primary contest against Carl McCall.
125.
Charles Rangel had been a staunch supporter of McCall against Cuomo in 2002.
126.
Charles Rangel faced several Democratic primary challengers for his seat in 2010: Vincent Morgan, whose grassroots campaign bore many resemblances to Charles Rangel's own against the scandal-plagued Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
127.
On November 16,2010, Charles Rangel was found guilty on 11 of the 12 standing charges against him by the adjudicatory subcommittee of the House Ethics Committee.
128.
Two days later, a near-tears Charles Rangel pleaded for "fairness and mercy" and he had support from fellow Representative John Lewis.
129.
The committee said that Charles Rangel should make restitution for any unpaid taxes.
130.
Supporters of Charles Rangel argued that by comparison with previous cases, a reprimand would be a more fitting punishment for Charles Rangel's trangressions than censure.
131.
Charles Rangel repeatedly insisted, as he had all along, that nothing he had done was with the aim of enriching himself.
132.
Per custom Charles Rangel went to the well of the House to hear Speaker Pelosi solemnly read the formal measure of censure.
133.
Republicans took over control of the House as the 112th Congress began in January 2011, meaning Charles Rangel would have lost his Ways and Means chair even without his ethics issues.
134.
Charles Rangel was not considered for the ranking member slot either, which after a contested election among the Democratic caucus had gone to former acting chair Sander Levin.
135.
Charles Rangel's difficulties were not completely over; the National Legal and Policy Center filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that he had improperly paid legal bills from a political action committee.
136.
Charles Rangel was the first elected politician to use the now-defunct Visible Vote mobile app to interact directly with his constituents.
137.
However the protesters themselves picketed Charles Rangel's office, objecting to his free trade stance.
138.
In early 2012, Charles Rangel was beset by a back injury and a serious viral infection; he was away from Congress for three months.
139.
Charles Rangel found himself in a district that stretched from Harlem to the Bronx and was now majority-Hispanic; it was 55 percent Hispanic and 27 percent African American.
140.
Charles Rangel struggled with fundraising, and he began receiving contributions from fellow members of Congress whom he had helped over the years.
141.
Charles Rangel appealed the dismissal, but the judge's action was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in May 2015, saying the matter fell outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
142.
Charles Rangel ran again in 2014, facing Espaillat once more in the Democratic primary as well as Reverend Michael Walrond from the First Corinthian Baptist Church.
143.
Charles Rangel said that if he was re-elected, it would be his final term in the House.
144.
Charles Rangel lost some of his traditional endorsements, but retained others and campaigned hard even while turning 84 years of age.
145.
Charles Rangel engaged in various fundraising efforts during 2015 in an effort to reduce this debt, which brought about some criticism from The Center for Public Integrity that these efforts were not fully transparent.
146.
Charles Rangel had planned to raise money towards paying off that debt at his 85th birthday celebration to be held at the Plaza Hotel that month.
147.
Charles Rangel left office at the expiration of his term on January 3,2017.
148.
Charles Rangel gave reflective interviews that commented on the future course of Harlem.
149.
Charles Rangel endorsed Robert Jackson in his successful bid to unseat Marisol Alcantara in New York's 31st State Senate district in a 2018 race, and he endorsed Joe Biden during the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.
150.
Charles Rangel served as grand marshal of Harlem's African American Day Parade in 2019.
151.
Charles Rangel rode in the parade again in 2022, at age 92, when it resumed following COVID-19 cancellations.
152.
Charles Rangel typically had 100 ratings from NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood and, inversely, 0 ratings or close to that from the National Right to Life Committee.
153.
Charles Rangel has typically gotten very high ratings in the 90s or 100 from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
154.
Charles Rangel is known as an energetic, genial, and sociable politician, one who is able to gain friendship and influence by means of charm, humor, and candor.
155.
Charles Rangel was called "Charlie" by everyone in Congress from the highest-ranking members to the custodial employees.
156.
Loyalties to Charles Rangel were severely tested when he was being investigated for possible ethics violations and a number of political figures bailed out on a lavish 80th birthday gala planned for Charles Rangel at New York's Plaza Hotel.
157.
Charles Rangel has been known for his blunt speaking and candor.
158.
When his ethics issues were made public, Charles Rangel remarked that Governor of Alaska and Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was "disabled".
159.
Charles Rangel was given the Jackie Robinson Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
160.
Charles Rangel has received a number of honorary degrees, including ones from Hofstra University, Syracuse University, Suffolk University Law School, and Bard College.