Sunday, May 19, 2013

Politics

Rep. Charles Rangel (New York)–Ways and Means Committee

By Allegra J. Moothart

Posted 10/26/06

Rep. Charles Rangel was born on June 11, 1930, in New York City.
Rangel resides in Harlem with his wife, Alma, a former social worker, whom he met at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom. They have two children, Alicia and Steven.
He is a Roman Catholic.
His father physically abused his mother and left the family when Rangel was 6 years old. His mother cleaned houses and worked in a factory.
He quit school at 16 and drifted from job to job before joining the Army.
Rangel served in the Army from 1948 to 1952 and was in an all-black artillery battalion during the Korean War. He received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for heroic action, including the rescue of 40 men from behind enemy lines.
He earned a bachelor of science degree from New York University in 1957 and graduated from St. John's University Law School in 1960.
He was elected to the 92nd Congress in 1970 and is serving his 18th term as a representative from the Harlem-based 15th Congressional District of New York.
He is a founding member and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. His wife is a founding member of the Congressional Black Spouses Caucus.
He voted against the Iraq war resolution in 2002 and 2003.
He has been the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee since 1997 and has the potential to become the first Ways and Means chairman from New York City since 1881.

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