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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Days before U.S. Rep. Donald Payne died of cancer, it wasn't the phone calls of encouragement from presidents that cheered him. It was when a Washington hospital orderly recognized the New Jersey congressman as the only U.S. official to visit his village in the African nation of Eritrea. Hearing from the orderly how much the visit had meant, and knowing he had made a difference in the lives of people struggling against violence and poverty — from his native Newark, N.J., to sub-Saharan Africa — was the reason why Donald Payne had dedicated his life to public service, his brother William said Tuesday. "He walked with kings, but never lost the common touch," William Payne said. Donald Payne, the first black congressional member from New Jersey, passed away Tuesday at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, N.J. He was 77. The 12-term member of the House had announced in February that he was undergoing treatment for colon cancer and would continue to represent his district. He was flown home to New Jersey on Friday from Georgetown University Hospital as his health took a sudden turn for the worse. He was first elected in 1988 after twice losing to former Rep. Peter Rodino, who retired after 40 years in Congress. Payne, often considered one of the most progressive Democrats in the state's delegation, was elected to a 12th term in 2010. He represented the 10th District, which includes the city of Newark and parts of Essex, Hudson and Union counties. In Washington, he was remembered for his work as a defender of human rights, both at home and abroad. President Barack Obama, who ordered flags lowered in Payne's honor, called him a "leader in US-Africa policy, making enormous contributions towards helping restore democracy and human rights across the continent." Former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Payne a "force for peace and progress" in New Jersey and throughout the world. "His impact was immeasurable and his legacy will live on in the lives he has touched," they said. Payne was a member of House committees on education and foreign affairs. He served as chairman of the House subcommittee on Africa, and had traveled many times to the continent on foreign affairs matters. He was remembered Tuesday as one of the first U.S. officials to speak out on the situation in Darfur and South Sudan. "He was fearless in describing what was happening to people; he didn't mince words;" said Faith McDonnell, a member of the Act for Sudan coalition who worked with Payne on issues in the region. "This is a huge loss to the people of Darfur, and for all marginalized people, who I really regret won't have his voice and his helping hand the way others did." During an April 2009 trip, mortar shells were fired toward Mogadishu airport as a plane carrying Payne took off safely from the Somali capital. Officials at the time said 19 civilians were injured in residential areas. Payne had met with Somalia's president and prime minister during his one-day visit to Mogadishu to discuss piracy, security and cooperation between Somalia and the United States. He also had been the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and a congressional delegate to the United Nations. At home, he was remembered as a trailblazer for African-Americans, as an advocate for the underprivileged, and as a gentleman. Newark Mayor Cory Booker called him a "a humble hero who lived an extraordinary life of contribution and distinction" and "a defender of and advocate for the rights, liberties, equal opportunities, and dignity of all people." Born and raised in Newark, Payne came up through the ranks of Essex County politics. He earned a bachelor's degree from Seton Hall University in 1957 and taught in Newark schools for 15 years. He went on to become an insurance executive and member of the Newark City Council from 1982 until 1988. It was his work with the YMCA — starting as a young volunteer at a segregated storefront office in Newark and rising to become the president of the national organization — that opened his eyes to the wider world, according to his brother. He traveled to more than 80 countries as a member of the YMCA's international board before becoming a congressman, his brother said. But Payne always remained as firmly rooted in local politics and community concerns as he was in raising awareness on issues from armed conflict to the AIDS epidemic in Africa, his brother said. "He was committed to causes that impacted on people who had no voice; people who were forgotten by society," William Payne said. "My brother had a great deal of compassion, and he stepped out on a lot of unpopular causes." Payne was a widower with three children and four grandchildren. His son, Donald Payne Jr., is a Newark city councilman. Services haven't been announced. While Payne faced the prospect of a primary challenge from Newark Councilman Ronald C. Rice, his death will open the field in the heavily Democratic district. Gov. Chris Christie's office said Tuesday that out of deference to the congressman and his family they would not discuss whether the governor would fill the seat immediately, or let it stand vacant until a special election can be held, which has typically been done. A public plaza between two government buildings in Newark now bears Payne's name in tribute to his long career in public service. ___ Associated Press writer Andrew Miga in Washington contributed to this report. DeFalco reported from Trenton. Follow Samantha Henry at http://www.twitter.com/SamanthaHenry. Donald Milford Payne (July 16, 1934 – March 6, 2012) was the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 10th congressional district, serving from 1989 until his death. He was a member of the Democratic Party. The district encompasses most of the city of Newark, parts of Jersey City and Elizabeth, and some suburban communities in Essex and Union counties. He was the first African American to represent New Jersey in Congress.
Payne was born in Newark and was a 1952 graduate of Barringer High School. He did his undergraduate studies at Seton Hall University, graduating in 1957. After graduating he pursued post-graduate studies in Springfield College inMassachusetts. Before being elected to Congress in 1988, Payne was an executive at Prudential Financial, Vice President of Urban Data Systems Inc., and a teacher in the Newark Public Schools. In 1970, Payne became the first black president of the National Council of YMCAs. From 1973 to 1981 he was Chairman of the World Y.M.C.A. Refugee and Rehabilitation Committee. Payne's political career began in 1972, when he was elected to the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, serving three terms. In 1982, he was elected to the Newark Municipal Council and served three terms, resigning in 1988 shortly after his election to Congress.
Payne ran against U.S. Congressman Peter Rodino in the 1980 and 1986 Democratic primaries but lost both times. Rodino retired in 1988 after 40 years in Congress. Payne defeated fellow Municipal Councilman Ralph T. Grant, Jr. in the Democratic primary, which was tantamount to election in this heavily Democratic, black-majority district. He has been re-elected nine times with no substantive opposition, never dropping below 75% of the vote. The last two times Paynes faced a Republican opponent in his being reelected to congress were in 2000 and 2010. In the 2002 general elction, Payne ran a with a lack of the a Republican opponent on the ballot and in doing gained 84.5% of the vote, winning a higher margin of the vote than in any other New Jersey Congressional race run that year. In the 2004 Congressional race the Republicans again had no candidate on the ballot and Payne easily won, with 97% of the vote, against Green Party candidate ) Toy-Ling Washington and Socialist Workers Party candidate Sara J. Lobman. In 2006, Payne was completely unopposed in the primary and general elections. In 2008, he won 99% of the vote against Green candidate Michael Taber. In 2010, Payne defeated a little-known candidate Micheal Alonso.
Payne's voting record was considered to have been the most consistently progressive of all New Jersey Congressmen at the time of his death. He was pro-choice and against the death penalty. He was a member, and former chair, of the Congressional Black Caucus and was chosen in 2002 by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to serve on the Democratic Steering Committee. The Democratic Steering Committee chooses which House Committees each individual Democratic Congressmen will serve on and also plays a crucial part in shaping the Democratic legislative agenda. In international issues Payne had been active in issues relating to Africa, particularly onthat of the current conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. As a leading advocate of education, Payne was instrumental in the passage of key legislation, including the Goals 2000 initiative to improve elementary and secondary schools; the School-to-Work Opportunities Act; the National Service Act, establishment of the National Literacy Institute; and funding for Head Start, Pell Grants, Summer Jobs and Student Loans. Payne was also a member of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where he served as Chairman of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health and as a member of the Subcommittee on the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and theUnited States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight. Congressman Payne was at the forefront of efforts to restore democracy and human rights in nations throughout the globe. He was one of five members of Congress chosen to accompany President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton on their historic six-nation tour of Africa. He also headed a Presidential mission to war-torn Rwanda to help find solutions to that country's political and humanitarian crises. In addition, he was recognized as having the most supportive record in Congress on issues involving the Northern Ireland peace process. On June 22, 2001 Payne was arrested after protesting against the Sudanese government at its Embassy in Washington, D.C.. He was a supporter of and endorsed the Genocide Intervention Network. In 2003, President George W. Bush appointed Payne as one of two members of Congress to serve as a Congressional delegate to the United Nations and reappointed him in 2005 to an unprecedented second term. In this role, he met with the U.N. Secretary General, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. and regularly attended sessions of the U.N. General Assembly and other high level meetings. He was one of the 31 who voted in the House to not count the electoral votes from Ohio in the United States presidential election, 2004. Payne received an "A" on the liberal Drum Major Institute's 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues Payne served on the board of directors of the National Endowment for Democracy, TransAfrica, Discovery Channel Global Education Fund, the Congressional Award Foundation, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newark, the Newark Day Center, the Fighting Back Initiative and the Newark YMCA. He received numerous awards and honors from national, international and community-based organizations, including the Visionaries Award bestowed by the Africa Society and the prestigious Democracy Service Medal, which was previously awarded to Lech Walesa, the former Polish President and founder of the Solidarity movement, by the National Endowment for Democracy. Payne supported Senator Barack Obama in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination after originally supporting Hillary Clinton On April 13, 2009, Payne's plane was departing from Mogadishu, Somalia, when Somali fighters fired mortars at the airport. Payne was unhurt, as his plane was already bound for Kenya. The attack came just one day after Captain Richard Phillips was rescued from Somali pirates after their failed hijacking of the MV Maersk Alabama. Payne stated that his party on the plane did not know the airport was attacked until after they arrived in Kenya.
Several other of Payne's family members have held or currently hold public office. His son, Donald M. Payne, Jr., is president of the Newark Municipal Council and is an Essex County Freeholder-At-Large, his brother, William D. Payne, served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1998 to 2008, and his nephew, Craig A. Stanley, served in the General Assembly from 1996 to 2008. Payne announced in a statement on February 10, 2012 that he is undergoing treatment for colon cancer. On March 2, 2012, it was reported that Payne had been flown from a hospital in Washington D.C. back to New Jersey via a medical transport plane and that he was "gravely ill". Payne died on March 6, 2012. He was 77.
Rep. Donald Payne of New Jersey dies at age 77
Early life, education, and early political career
U.S. House of Representatives
[edit]Elections
Tenure
[edit]Death in 2012
