Former President Invoice Clinton, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Home Democratic Chief Hakeem Jeffries remembered former U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel’s sharp wit, relentless advocacy for Harlem and extraordinary lifetime of public service throughout a funeral mass for the late congressman in Manhattan on Friday.
Rangel, a pioneering congressman and veteran of the Korean Warfare, died on Might 26 the age of 94.
The mass, held on the historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral, got here a day after Rangel’s physique lay in state at New York Metropolis Corridor, an honor bestowed to solely a handful of political figures, together with U.S. presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.
Clinton, who known as Rangel probably the most efficient members to ever serve in Congress, recalled the congressman’s insistence on steering a important financial program to his Harlem district when Clinton was president, serving to to decrease unemployment there.
“I don’t think I ever knew a happier warrior than Charlie Rangel,” Clinton stated.
Charles Rangel, often known as the Lion of Lenox Avenue, died Monday on the age of 94. The longtime Harlem congressman served for practically 5 a long time in Washington, and was the final surviving member of the so-called “Gang of Four,” a gaggle of Black lawmakers who wielded appreciable energy in NYC and state politics. NBC New York’s Erica Byfield and Gaby Acevedo report.
Rangel served in Congress for practically 5 a long time, turning into a dean of the New York congressional delegation and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, in addition to being the primary first African American to chair the highly effective Methods and Means Committee. Earlier than his time on Capitol Hill, he earned a Purple Coronary heart and a Bronze Star for his navy service within the Korean Warfare.
Jeffries, the Home Democratic Chief, informed the gang on the mass that “America is best off as we speak due to his service” and stated, as a younger congressman, that the legendary Rangel would merely name him Jeff.
“Now, Charlie Rangel would often call me Jeff. I believe it was short for Jeffries. But I never confirmed that. ‘Cause this was Charlie Rangel, and so you go with the flow,” Jeffries stated, smiling.
Hochul known as Rangel “a giant in American life” and said she would move to rename a street in Harlem after the late congressman, who was sometimes called “Lion of Lenox Avenue.” She thanked the attendees who came to the mass “not to mourn Charlie, but to celebrate an extraordinary life.”
