October 19, 1988 Charles Rangel NY Congressman Letter
Charles Bernard Rangel was born on June 11, 1930 in Harlem, New York.He attended DeWitt Clinton High School and occasionally, after getting into trouble would have to be redirected by his maternal grandfather who worked at a courthouse and was an early role model for him. After dropping out of school at age 16 Rangel enlisted in the United States Army and served from 1948 until his honorable discharge in 1952. After leaving the army Rangel took a year to complete highschool, then went on to receive a bachelors from New York University and then earned a law degree from St. Johns University School of Law in 1960. He practiced law for a while then went on to become a U.S. Representative for districts in New York. Rangel was the first African-American Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee and he is also a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.