Video: Delegation Tour to Rising Ground in Yonkers
U.S. Representative Eliot Engel and other elected officials speak after touring Rising Ground in Yonkers on July 3, 2018.
Mark Vergari, mvergari@lohud.com
Former New York Representative Eliot Engel, a Democrat who pursued President Donald Trump’s actions during his first term, has died. The longtime lawmaker from Westchester and the Bronx in New York’s 16th Congressional District is 79 years old.
The circumstances surrounding the former congressman’s death were not yet clear as of the afternoon of April 10th. Mr. Engel is survived by his wife, Patricia, and their children. He died “surrounded by his family and loved ones in the Bronx, the neighborhood that raised him,” a statement from his family said.
Born in the Bronx in 1947, Engel attended Bronx public schools, received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Hunter-Lehman College, and graduated with a J.D. from New York Law School in 1987.
He began his political career as a state legislator, serving from 1977 to 1988. He was first elected to Congress in 1989 and served until 2021, when he conceded to Jamal Bowman in the 2020 election.
The Foreign Affairs Committee pitted him against President Trump.
Near the end of his Congressional career, Engel served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
As chairman, Engel spearheaded a 2019 investigation into the State Department’s spending at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and the Turnberry resort in Scotland.
Earlier that year, Mr. Engel joined other Democratic leaders in calling for a formal impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump.
Engel believed Trump committed obstruction of justice because the late Robert Mueller was leading an investigation into allegations of foreign fraud in the U.S. election.
“The American people want the truth and have a right to know it,” he said in a statement.
Engel clashed with Trump multiple times during his first term in the White House, including criticizing the administration’s withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty in 2020 and proposing cuts to the international affairs budget and other measures in 2021.
On the eve of President Trump’s first address to Congress in 2017, Engel told ABC News that he did not intend to shake the first-term president’s hand that night.
“I have deep respect for the Presidency and will attend the joint session, but the respect between the branches must be mutual,” Engel said.
“This goes beyond ideological and political differences,” he continued. “The president needs to work with all the people, so today I will listen to what he says, but I will not greet him or shake his hand,” he said.
Engel is remembered as a “fervent advocate and true public servant”
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said in a statement Friday that the county was “deeply saddened” by his death and remembered him as a “passionate advocate” at home and abroad, a “defender of human rights” and “a tireless public servant who dedicated more than 30 years to representing the people of New York State.” Jenkins said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Engel a “true public servant” and “a dear friend of mine dating back to when we first met as district leaders in the Bronx.”
“Mr. Elliott was rarely the loudest person in the room, but he knew how to do the hard work of legislation. He led the Foreign Affairs Committee with a rare blend of conviction, competence, and kindness that cemented him as one of the great foreign policy leaders of the 21st century,” Schumer said in a statement. “His work to defend democracy and protect the human rights of millions of people around the world will leave a lasting mark on the world.”
Schumer praised his work on affordable housing, expanding health care access, improving maternity care and “fighting for sensible gun control.”
“He was my friend and partner in public service. I mourn with his family and his wonderful wife Pat, who was always his fiercest champion. I will miss him greatly.”
Representative George Latimer, who now represents Mr. Engel’s former 16th District in New York, issued a statement Friday afternoon recalling his dedication to public service as a teacher and in elected office in Albany and Washington.
Mr. Latimer mentioned Mr. Engel’s work that helped bring peace to the Balkans in the 1990s.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said in a Facebook post Friday that he was “deeply saddened” to hear of Engel’s death and that Engel had worked closely with the congressman on issues close to his heart.
“His dedication and leadership will not be forgotten,” he said.
Contributors: Matt Richter and Nancy Cutler, Dimples
