Charles Bernard Rangel (born June 11, 1930), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1971, in Congress since 1971, representing the Fifteenth Congressional District of New York since 1993 (before that, because of the redrawing of district boundaries, he represented the Eighteenth District, 1971-1973; Nineteenth District, 1973-1983; and Sixteenth District, 1983-1993). Born in New York City, he served in the United States Army, 1948-1952, during the Korean War, earning a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He attended New York University and obtained a degree in Law from St. John's University.
Rangel served in the New York State Assembly from 1966 to 1970, when he was elected to the House. In the early 1970s, Rangel was a member of the House Judiciary Committee and participated in the impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon. He is now the Ranking Member of the Committee on Ways and Means and Chairman of the Board of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He was a founding member and former Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.
