Rangel << RANG guhl >> , Charles Bernard (1930-…), a New York Democrat, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 2017. He helped found the Congressional Black Caucus, an organization of African American senators and representatives.
As a representative, Rangel worked to provide federal aid for the poor and for cities. He sponsored programs to redevelop neighborhoods and provide affordable housing. From 2007 to 2010, Rangel served as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which oversees government spending. In 2010, the House Ethics Committee resolved to censure (formally condemn) Rangel for ethics violations related to tax payments and the funding of trips Rangel took overseas.
Rangel was born on June 11, 1930, in the Harlem section of New York City. He served in the U.S. Army from 1948 to 1952, during which time he fought in the Korean War. He graduated from New York University in 1957 and from St. John’s University School of Law in 1960. He was an assistant U.S. attorney and a member of the New York State Assembly before his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1970.
See also Black Caucus, Congressional .
