Representative Donald M. Payne Jr., a Democrat from Newark who succeeded his father, New Jersey’s first Black member of Congress, died on Wednesday in Newark in the midst of his sixth term on Capitol Hill.
He had been hospitalized in Newark and unconscious since April 6, when he sustained a heart attack resulting from complications of diabetes, according to his office.
In 1988, Donald Payne Sr. fulfilled a dream he had publicly proclaimed 14 years earlier: being elected to the House as the first Black member of his state’s congressional delegation.
He succeeded Peter W. Rodino Jr., whom he had unsuccessfully challenged earlier and who had retired.
In 2012, shortly after Mr. Payne died at 77, Donald Payne Jr. won a special election to fill the remainder of his term.
He also pressed for improved emergency responses to hurricanes and other natural disasters and proposed a neighborhood gun buyback program to improve public safety.
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Legislator Donald M. Payne Jr. , a Democrat from Newark who succeeded his father as the state’s first Black representative in Congress, passed away in Newark on Wednesday while serving his sixth term on the Hill. At 65 years old.
His office stated that he had been hospitalized in Newark and had not been conscious since April 6, when he suffered a heart attack as a result of complications related to his diabetes. Governor declared him dead. Phil Murphy.
In 1988, Donald Payne Sr. realized a dream he had declared in public fourteen years prior: becoming the first Black member of his state’s congressional delegation and elected to the House. Peter W. was succeeded by him. Rodino Jr. who had retired and whom he had previously attempted in vain to challenge.
Not long after Mr. Payne’s 77th birthday in 2012, Donald Payne Jr. prevailed in a special election to finish his term. After that, he prevailed in a fierce six-candidate primary to secure the Democratic nomination and serve as the representative for the 10th District, which covers portions of Union, Hudson, and Essex counties, for a two-year term that started in January 2013.
The younger Mr. Payne gained recognition for his assistance in securing a federal allocation of $900 million for the Gateway tunnel project, which aims to cross the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York. Additionally, he was a proponent of lead testing in school water systems as a means of preventing cancer and other illnesses. His measure was approved by the House and subsequently the Senate. In addition, he advocated for better emergency preparedness for hurricanes and other natural disasters and suggested a neighborhood gun buyback program to boost security.
Prior to the election of 2022, when the Democrats controlled the House of Representatives, he served as chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery as well as the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
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