Charles Rangel: “being the senior member of the New York delegation is a great privilege, but one of the problems you have is that you…”

“being the senior member of the New York delegation is a great privilege, but one of the problems you have is that you have a responsibility to lead the tribute to say good-bye to so many New Yorkers who have served the delegation, the Congress, and the country so well. Of course, tonight is one of those nights where one of Congress' greatest Members, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Thomas Manton), has decided after 14 years that he will be going into the private sector. I think the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tom Manton) is the perfect type of New Yorker. He was born in New York, the son of an Irish immigrant family. He went to school in the city of New York and became an attorney. He also was a New York City policeman, and served in my own community in central Harlem, where he was walking the beats of Harlem while I was serving as a desk clerk in the Hotel Teresa. We both were going to law school at the time. He then went into public office, having served 15 years as a member of the New York City Council, and finally came some 14 years ago to join us in the Congress.”