A former US congressman and constant visitor and advocate for Bermuda has died this week.

Charles Rangel spent nearly five decades on Capitol Hill and helped to create the Congressional Black Caucus. He died on Monday aged 94.

Mr Rangel, from Harlem, New York, frequented the island and became a close friend of many sitting premiers.

In particular, he had dealings with Sir John Swan, then of the United Bermuda Party, Progressive Labour Party leader Ewart Brown and former One Bermuda Alliance premier Michael Dunkley.

Dr Brown, who also spoke on behalf of his wife, said: “Wanda and I considered Charlie Rangel a personal friend, and were saddened to hear of his passing.

“He always greeted us with a big smile whenever we visited him on Capitol Hill or spent time with mutual friends in New York.

“He supported Bermuda in every way that he could.”

Mr Rangel extended a personal invitation to Sir John in 1993 to visit Washington.

The former premier turned down the offer over an upcoming General Election.

Mr Rangel advocated for Bermuda’s integrity in 2007, assuring his fellow congressmen that Bermuda was not a tax haven for US companies.

The following year, Dr Brown, premier at the time, was seated next to Mr Rangel at the Alfalfa Club’s annual dinner in Washington.

The informal meeting allowed the two to discuss Bermudian-US relations and their mutual benefits.

Dr Brown told The Royal Gazette: “I think the chairman and I covered more ground at the Alfalfa dinner than at any other time that we've met.”

Mr Dunkley got a chance to meet Mr Rangel in 2015 when he and Grant Gibbons, the Minister of Economic Development at the time, visited Capitol Hill.

Mr Dunkley told the Gazette afterwards: “We discussed a wide range of issues related to Bermuda such as our international business reputation, tourism, environmental matters and tackling crime.

“We believe it was a very productive day, a day where we reaffirmed our friendship and built relationships, and I was very encouraged by the expressed support for Bermuda by the House and Senate representatives.”

Mr Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War, started his congressional career after defeating the Harlem politician Adam Clayton Powell in 1970.

He became the Dean of the New York Congressional Delegation, known for his gravelly voice and dry sense of humour.

In 2007, Mr Rangel became the first Black man to chair the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees taxation and other revenue-generating measures.

He eventually stepped down amid ethics controversies and in 2010 was charged with 13 counts of financial and fundraising misconduct.

Mr Rangel was convicted by Congress of 11 violations, but he continued to serve in the House until his retirement in 2017.

Mr Rangel was the last surviving member of the “Gang of Four”, a quartet of prominent Black politicians from New York City.

The other three were David Dinkins, New York City’s first Black mayor, Percy Sutton, the borough president of Manhattan, and Basil Paterson, a deputy mayor and secretary of state for New York.