Late NY Rep. Charlie Rangel to lie in state at City Hall before St. Patrick's funeral

Rep. Charlie Rangel, the longtime Harlem congressmember who died last month, will lie in state at New York City Hall this week, ahead of his funeral Friday at Midtown’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, according to plans shared by the mayor’s office.

Rangel, who was born and raised in Harlem, died on May 26 at the age of 94. The Democrat served 46 years in the House of Representatives, making him one of the longest-tenured congressmembers ever, and was a cofounder of the Congressional Black Caucus as well as the first Black chair of the Ways and Means Committee. He retired from office in 2017 and became a statesman-in-residence at City College.

Known as the “Lion of Lenox Avenue,” Rangel was the last living member of Harlem’s storied “Gang of Four,” a coalition of Black lawmakers that included former Mayor David Dinkins; Basil Paterson, a former state senator and the father of ex-Gov. David Paterson; and Percy Sutton, a longtime business and political leader who had once been Malcolm X’s legal counsel.

After a public viewing Tuesday at St. Aloysius Church on West 132nd Street from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., including a 6:30 p.m. wake featuring remembrances by community leaders, Rangel’s body will be moved to City Hall on Wednesday afternoon. That evening, there will be a private viewing for his family.




https://gothamist.com/news/late-ny-rep-charlie-rangel-to-lie-in-state-at-city-hall-before-st-patricks-funeral