Charles B. Rangel

Charles Bernard "Charlie" Rangel (born June 11, 1930) 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, and is the most senior member of that state's congressional delegation. He is a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. In January 2007, Rangel became chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, the first African-American to do so. Rangel was born in Harlem in New York City and had a somewhat troubled childhood. He earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service in the United States 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. Rangel graduated from New York University in 1957 and St. John's University School of Law in 1960, then worked as a private lawyer, Assistant U.S. Attorney, and legal counsel during the early-mid 1960s. He served two terms in the New York State Assembly from 1967 to 1970, then defeated longtime incumbent Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. in a primary challenge on his way to being elected to the House of Representatives. Once there, Rangel rose rapidly in the Democratic ranks, combining solidly liberal views with a pragmatic approach to getting things done. His longtime concerns with battling the importation and effects of illegal drugs led to his becoming chair of the House Select Committee on Narcotics, where he helped define national policy on the issue during the 1980s. As one of Harlem's "Gang of Four", he also became a leader in New York city and state politics. He 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. Rangel is known both for his genial manner and 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. He was an adamant opponent of the George W. Bush administration and of the Iraq War, and put forth quixotic proposals to reinstate the draft during the 2000s. Beginning in 2008, Rangel has faced a series of allegations of ethical violations and failures to follow tax laws. In February 2010, the House Ethics Committee concluded that Rangel had violated House gift rules by accepting payment from corporations for reimbursement for travel to conferences in the Caribbean, and required him to repay those expenses. The Ethics Committee has yet to rule on three more serious investigations, which involve allegations of improperly living in multiple rent-stabilized apartments in New York City while claiming his Washington, D.C. home as his primary residence for tax purposes, of improperly using his office in raising money for a public policy institute in his name at the City College of New York, and of failing to disclose rental income from an apartment in the Dominican Republic. In March 2010, Rangel stepped aside as Ways and Means chair.