Charles Rangel: “Tom Manton was not only a great guy, but for those of us who have been involved in politics, as I said earlier, he truly…”

“Tom Manton was not only a great guy, but for those of us who have been involved in politics, as I said earlier, he truly was a politician's politician. You did not have to ask a question and hear a lot of arguments that you did not understand. Tom would give you a straight answer and save you a lot of time. But if there was a book written about great Americans or, even more importantly, great New Yorkers and great Americans, Tom Manton really would fit in that profile. His parents came to the United States from Ireland, and Tom followed the course of not only being a United States Marine but being a dedicated police officer. After that he continued to serve for 14 years in the New York City Council and then succeeded Geraldine Ferraro in the House of Representatives. All of these things are careers in and of themselves. But to be prepared to be the Democratic county leader of the diverse county that Queens represents really takes an exceptional person, and Tom was just that.…”