New York politicians — including Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams — flocked to St. Patrick’s Cathedral Friday to honor late longtime Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel.
Rangel — a Harlem political institution who died May 26 at the age of 94 — was remembered during a memorial service at the iconic Midtown cathedral.
“Charlie was a giant,” Hochul told the room of political bigwigs.
“He wanted to use the power of his position to do good for others,” she said.
“He put a glaring spotlight on his beloved Harlem and other communities that needed help.”
Hochul announced that she was working with Adams to immortalize the late congressman with a prominent street in Harlem that would be named “Charlie Rangel Way.”
The crowd of about 500 mourners in attendance included Bill and Hillary Clinton, Sen. Chuck Schumer, State Attorney General Tish James, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and more than 20 US Congress members.
Rangel’s casket was led into the church by military guards and his family, including his two adult children.
Schumer delivered heartfelt remarks about his longtime colleague, who served four different congressional districts in his 46 years of service.
“Whenever you lose a loved one, especially one so dear as Charlie is to all of us … you never know what quality of theirs will stand out as you look back,” the New York Democrat said.
“For me, with Charlie, it was his voice. I think of Charlie and hearing echoing around in my head and my heart.”
Prior to Friday’s service, Rangel’s casket lay in state at City Hall for two days of public viewing.
The so-called Lion of Lenox Ave was elected to Congress in 1970 after challenging incumbent civil-rights leader Adam Clayton Powell Jr. for his Harlem seat.
Rangel was a part of the neighborhood’s legendary African-American political coalition, the “Gang of Four.”
The powerful crew also included Mayor David Dinkins, Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton and state Sen. Basil Paterson.
The mark Rangel left on Harlem was a through-line of Friday’s service, with speakers praising the pride and adoration he had for his neighborhood.
“America is better off today because of his service,” said Jeffries, who leads the House Democratic Caucus as Rangel once did.
“A lot can be said— Charlie Rangel was a good man. A family man. A well educated man. A well dressed man. An Alpha man. An Army man. A community man. A courageous man. A compassionate man. A heroic man. A humorous man. A hard working man,” the New York congressman said.
“Above all else, he was a Harlem Man.”
