Q: Who is Congressman Charles B. Rangel?

A:

If you live in the 15th Congressional District (East and Central Harlem, the Upper West Side, and Washington Heights/Inwood; New York’s 15th covers a broad range of neighborhoods, blanketing Upper Manhattan from East 96th Street and West 91st Street on up. Outside the borough of Manhattan, the 15th stretches to include a small area of the Bronx, as well as Rikers Island, an incongruous appendage located off Manhattan in the East River and home to a New York City prison complex), you're representative in the House is Congressman Rangel.

Rangel, who unseated Adam Clayton Powell Jr, has held the seat since 1970. He lives in Harlem with his wife, Alma, and their two children.

Source: Congressman Charles B. Rangel's official website

According to US News and World Report:
Rep. Charles Rangel (New York)–Ways and Means Committee
By Allegra J. Moothart
Posted 10/26/06

• Rep. Charles Rangel was born on June 11, 1930, in New York City.
• Rangel resides in Harlem with his wife, Alma, a former social worker, whom he met at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom. They have two children, Alicia and Steven.
• He is a Roman Catholic.
• His father physically abused his mother and left the family when Rangel was 6 years old. His mother cleaned houses and worked in a factory. He quit school at 16 and drifted from job to job before joining the Army.
• Rangel served in the Army from 1948 to 1952 and was in an all-black artillery battalion during the Korean War. He received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for heroic action, including the rescue of 40 men from behind enemy lines.
• He earned a bachelor of science degree from New York University in 1957 and graduated from St. John's University Law School in 1960.
• He was elected to the 92nd Congress in 1970 and is serving his 18th term as a representative from the Harlem-based 15th Congressional District of New York.
• He is a founding member and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. His wife is a founding member of the Congressional Black Spouses Caucus.
• He voted against the Iraq war resolution in 2002 and 2003.
• He has been the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee since 1997 and has the potential to become the first Ways and Means chairman from New York City since 1881.

Source: US News and World Report

According to govtrack.us:

• Charles Rangel missed 891 (9%) of 9567 votes since Jan 5, 1993. The graph to the left shows the number of missed votes over time. Click for a larger chart and a list of recent votes.
• Rangel is a far-left Democrat according to GovTrack's own analysis of bill sponsorship. (Where do these labels come from?)

Source: govtrack.us