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{{otherpeople4|the American politician|the television writer|Don Payne (writer)}} {{Short description|American politician (1934–2012)}}
{{for|persons of a similar name|Donald Payne (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox_Congressman
{{Infobox officeholder
| name =Donald M. Payne
| image name =Donald Payne.jpg | name = Donald Payne
| image = Donald M Payne Official.jpg
| date of birth={{birth date and age |1934|07|16}}
| place of birth=] | state = ]
| district = {{ushr|NJ|10|10th}}
| state = ]
| term_start = January 3, 1989
| district = ]
| term_end = March 6, 2012
| preceded = ]
| predecessor = ]
| succeeded = Incumbent
| successor = ]
| term_start=], ]
| birth_name = Donald Milford Payne
| party =]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1934|7|16}}
| religion = ]
| birth_place = ], U.S.
| spouse = Widowed
| death_date = {{death date and age|2012|3|6|1934|7|16}}
| death_place = ], U.S.
| party = ]
| spouse = {{marriage|Hazel Johnson|1958|1963|reason=her death}}
| education = ] (])<br>]
| relatives = ] (brother)<br>] (nephew)
| children = 3, including ]
| module = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Rep. Donald M. Payne on the AIDS Epidemic in the United States.ogg|title=Donald M. Payne's voice|type=speech|description=Payne speaks on the ]<br/>Recorded October 4, 1999}}
}} }}
'''Donald Milford Payne''' (b. ] ], ]) is an ] ] ] from the ] of ]. He is the first African American to serve in the United States House of Representatives ] from the State of New Jersey ].<ref>May, Clifford D. , '']'', ], ]. Accessed ], ]. "''Peter Rodino is one of my heroes,'' said Representative Donald Payne, who this month succeeded Mr. Rodino and became the first black Congressman from New Jersey."</ref> He represents the state's ]<ref>], which encompasses most of the city of ], parts of ] and ], and some suburban towns in ] and ] counties. '''Donald Milford Payne Sr.''' (July 16, 1934&nbsp;– March 6, 2012) was an American politician who was the ] for {{ushr|NJ|10}} from 1989 until his death. He was a member of the ]. The district encompassed most of the city of ], parts of ] and ], and some suburban communities in ] and ] counties. He was the first African American to represent New Jersey in Congress.<ref>May, Clifford D. , '']'', January 27, 1989. Accessed December 12, 2007. "''Peter Rodino is one of my heroes,'' said Representative Donald Payne, who this month succeeded Mr. Rodino and became the first black Congressman from New Jersey."</ref>


==Early life, education, and early political career==
==Early Life==
Payne was born in Newark and was a 1952 graduate of ]. He did his undergraduate studies at ], graduating in 1957. After graduating he pursued post-graduate studies in ] in ]. Before being elected to Congress in 1988, Payne was an executive at ], Vice President of Urban Data Systems Inc., and a teacher in the ].<ref>, ]. Retrieved June 8, 2007.</ref> In 1970, Payne became the first black president of the National Council of ]s.<ref>. Retrieved December 13, 2007.</ref> From 1973 to 1981 he was Chairman of the World Y.M.C.A. Refugee and Rehabilitation Committee.<ref>Sullivan, Joseph F. , "]", November 10, 1988. Accessed December 13, 2007. "He was elected president of the National Council of Y.M.C.A.'s in 1970. From 1973 to 1981 he was chairman of the World Y.M.C.A. Refugee and Rehabilitation Committee."</ref>


Payne's political career began in 1972, when he was elected to the Essex County ], serving three terms.
Payne was born in ] and was a 1952 graduate of ]. He did his undergraduate studies at ]. After graduating he pursued post-graduate studies in ] in ]. Before being elected to Congress in 1988, Payne served in the Newark Municipal Council, was on the Essex County ], was an executive at ], was Vice President of Urban Data Systems Inc., and was a teacher in the ].<ref>, ]. Accessed ], ].</ref>


In 1978, Payne ran against, and came in third to, ] in the June primary selecting the Democratic candidate for the first ], with Sheriff ] coming in second.<ref>Narvaez, Alfonso A. , '']'', June 8, 1978. Accessed March 19, 2018. "Assemblyman Peter Shapiro today attributed his victory in the Democratic primary yesterday for Essex County Executive to hard work by hundreds of volunteers who manned telephones to bring out voters in suburban communities and to inroads made by Freeholder Donald M. Payne in urban areas where Sheriff John F. Cryan had expected stronger support."</ref>
==Career==


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 Congressman ] in the 1980 and 1986 Democratic primaries but lost both times. Rodino retired in 1988, and Payne easily won his seat in the ] to become New Jersey's first and currently only ] member of Congress.


==U.S. House of Representatives==
Since his election to Congress, he has won all nine successive elections without much challenge. In 2002, Payne ran against no Republican opponent gaining 84.5% of the vote, winning the highest margin of the vote than in any other New Jersey Congressional race. In the 2004 Congressional race the Republicans again had no candidate on the ballot and Payne easily won, with 97% of the vote, against ] candidate () Toy-Ling Washington and ] candidate Sara J. Lobman.
===Elections===
As early as 1974, Payne set out to become New Jersey's first African-American congressman. He ran against U.S. Congressman ] in the 1980 and 1986 Democratic primaries-the real contest in this heavily Democratic, black-majority district-but lost both times. Rodino retired in 1988 after 40 years in Congress. Payne defeated fellow Municipal Councilman Ralph T. Grant Jr. by a nearly 4-to-1 margin in the Democratic primary, and was handily elected in November by a nearly 8-to-1 margin. He was re-elected eleven times with no substantive opposition; his lowest margin was 75 percent in 1994.<ref>Friedman, Matt. , '']'', June 5, 2012. Accessed April 18, 2019.</ref><ref>Rizzo, Salvador , '']'', November 6, 2012. Accessed April 18, 2019.</ref>
<ref>,'']'', Raymond Hernandez, March 6, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2019.</ref>


'''1996 Results'''
Payne's voting record is considered to be the most consistently liberal of all New Jersey Congressmen. He is ] and against the ]. He is a member, and former chair, of the ] and was chosen in 2002 by House Minority Leader ] to serve on the ]. 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 has been active in issues relating to Africa, particularly that of the current ] in the ] region of ].
* Don Payne (D) 84.16%
* Vanessa Williams (R) 14.62%
* Harley Tyler (NL) 0.79%
* Toni Jackson (SWP) 0.43%


'''1998 Results'''
On ] ] Payne was arrested after protesting against the ]ese government at Sudan's Embassy in ]. <ref></ref> He is a supporter and has endorsed the ].
* Don Payne (D) 84%
* William Wnuck (R) 11%


'''2000 Results'''
He was one of the 31 who voted in the House to ''not'' count the ]s from ] in the ].<ref>, ], ], ]. Accessed ], ].</ref>
* Donald M. Payne (D) 87.5%
* Dirk B. Weber (R) 12.1%
* Maurice Williams (I) 0.4%


In the 2002 general election, Payne was reelected with 84.5% of the vote, receiving a higher margin of the vote than in any other New Jersey Congressional race run that year. In 2004, the Republicans didn't even put up a candidate, and Payne was reelected with 97% of the vote, against ] candidate Toy-Ling Washington<ref>{{cite web|url=http://geocities.com/votewashington/ |date=2009-10-27 |access-date=2012-11-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027020913/http://geocities.com/votewashington/ |archive-date=October 27, 2009 |title=Washington for Congress }}</ref> and ] candidate Sara J. Lobman. In 2006, Payne was unopposed in the primary and general elections. In 2008, he won 99% of the vote against Green candidate Michael Taber. In 2010, Payne defeated little-known candidate Micheal Alonso.
Payne received an "A" on the liberal ]'s 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues<ref>, ]. Accessed ], ].</ref>


===U.S. House of Representatives===
Donald Payne's brother, ], serves in the ] representing the ] of New Jersey, his nephew, ], serves in the General Assembly representing the ], and his son, Donald M. Payne, Jr., serves as a councilman in the Newark City Council.
====General elections====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Democrat !! Votes !! Republican !! Votes
|-
| 1988 || Donald M. Payne || 84,681 || Michael Webb || 13,848
|-
|}


====Primary elections====
In December of 2006, Payne voted against a House resolution brought in honor of the 25-year anniversary of the death of ] Police Officer ], condemning the decision by the city of St. Denis, France, to name a street in honor of ], who was convicted of Faulkner's murder.<ref>, '']'', ], ].</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Democrat !! Votes
|-
| 1980 || ] || 26,943
|-
| 1980 || Donald M. Payne || 9,825
|-
| 1980 || ] || 5,316
|-
| 1980 || Russell E. Fox || 1,251
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
| 1986 || ] || 25,136
|-
| 1986 || Donald M. Payne || 15,216
|-
| 1986 || Pearl Hart || 967
|-
| 1986 || Arthur S. Jones || 931
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
| 1988 || Donald M. Payne || 40,608
|-
| 1988 || Ralph T. Grant Jr. || 14,908
|-
|}

===Tenure===
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2016}}
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 ] and against the ]. He was a member, and former chair, of the ]<ref>{{cite web|title=Membership|url=https://cbc.house.gov/membership/|publisher=Congressional Black Caucus|access-date=7 March 2018}}</ref> and was chosen in 2002 by House Minority Leader ] to serve on the ]. 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 was active on issues relating to Africa, particularly regarding the ] in the ] region of ] and the ].

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 ], where he served as ] of the ] and as a member of the Subcommittee on the ] and the ]. 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 ] and ] on their historic six-nation tour of ]. He also headed a Presidential mission to war-torn Rwanda <ref>. The New York Times. Accessed December 13, 2007.</ref> 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 ].

On June 22, 2001 Payne was arrested after protesting against the ]ese government at its embassy in ]<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060104174938/http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/nj10_payne/pr_010622_sudan2.htm|date=January 4, 2006}}</ref> He was a supporter of and endorsed the ].

In 2003, President ] appointed Payne as one of two members of Congress to serve as a Congressional delegate to the ] and reappointed him in 2005 to an unprecedented second term. In this role, he met with the ], the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. and regularly attended sessions of the ] and other high level meetings.

He was one of the 31 House Democrats who voted to ''not'' count the 20 ]s from ] in the ].<ref>, ], January 6, 2005. Retrieved June 26, 2007.</ref> President ] won Ohio by 118,457 votes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/29/politics/ohio-recount-gives-a-smaller-margin-to-bush.html|title = Ohio Recount Gives a Smaller Margin to Bush|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 29 December 2004|last1 = Salvato|first1 = Albert}}</ref> Without Ohio's electoral votes, the election would have been decided by the U.S. House of Representatives, with each state having one vote in accordance with the ].

Payne received an "A" on the liberal ]'s 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues.<ref>, ]. Retrieved June 26, 2007.</ref>

Payne served on the board of directors of the ], ], ] Global Education Fund, the ], the ] of Newark, the Newark Day Center, the Fighting Back Initiative and the Newark ]. 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 ] in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination after originally supporting ].{{citation needed|date=March 2012}}

The Donald M. Payne International Development Fellowship is named in his honor.<ref>. Retrieved May 6, 2024</ref>

;Attack in Somalia
{{Expand section|date=December 2009}}On April 13, 2009, Payne's plane was departing from ], ], when Somali fighters fired mortars at the airport. Payne was unhurt, as his plane was already bound for ]. The attack came just one day after Captain Richard Phillips was rescued from ] after their failed hijacking of the ]. Payne stated that his party on the plane did not know the airport was attacked until after they arrived in Kenya.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/13/somalia.attack/index.html |title=U.S. lawmaker safe after plane fired on in Somalia |publisher=CNN.com |date=2009-04-13 |access-date=2010-08-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7996795.stm |title=Africa &#124; Somali mortars miss US politician |work=BBC News |date=2009-04-13 |access-date=2010-08-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/world/index_xml/~3/Z6OX39uK5bA/AR2009041300671.html |title=Somali Insurgents Fire at Plane Leaving Mogadishu With U.S. Congressman Aboard - washingtonpost.com |publisher=Feeds.washingtonpost.com |date=April 14, 2009 |access-date=2010-08-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630211203/http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/world/index_xml/~3/Z6OX39uK5bA/AR2009041300671.html |archive-date=June 30, 2012 }}</ref>


===Committee assignments=== ===Committee assignments===
*] *''']'''
**] (]) **]
**] **]
*''']'''
**]
**]


===Caucus memberships===
*]
*Congressional Black Caucus
**] (])
*Congressional Human Rights Caucus
**]
**] *]
*Silk Road Congressional Caucus
*Congressional Arts Caucus

==Personal life==
Several other of Payne's family members have held or currently hold public office. His son, ], was president of the ] and an Essex County Freeholder-At-Large, and was elected to fill his father's seat in Congress on November 6, 2012. His brother, ], served in the ] from 1998 to 2008. His nephew, ], served in the General Assembly from 1996 to 2008.<ref>{{cite news|author=David Giambusso |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/02/despite_cancer_treatments_payn.html |title=Despite cancer treatments, Payne will run for re-election, son says |newspaper=Newark Star-Ledger |date= February 11, 2012 |access-date=2012-02-11}}</ref>

==Death==
Payne announced in a statement on February 10, 2012 that he was undergoing treatment for ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/nj-rep-donald-payne-says-he-is-suffering-from-colon-cancer-vows-to-keep-serving-in-congress/2012/02/10/gIQACSOA5Q_story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216204648/http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/nj-rep-donald-payne-says-he-is-suffering-from-colon-cancer-vows-to-keep-serving-in-congress/2012/02/10/gIQACSOA5Q_story.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 16, 2012 |title=NJ Rep. Donald Payne says he is suffering from colon cancer, vows to keep serving in Congress |newspaper=The Washington Post |date= February 10, 2012 |access-date=2012-02-11}}</ref> 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,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/107627-rep-donald-payne-battling-colon-cancer-flown-back-to-new-jersey/ |title=Rep. Donald Payne, battling colon cancer, flown back to New Jersey |newspaper=The Hill |date= March 2, 2012 |access-date=2012-03-02}}</ref> because he was "gravely ill".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/david-catanese/2012/03/rep-donald-payne-gravely-ill-116234.html |title=Rep. Donald Payne gravely ill |publisher=Politico |date= March 2, 2012 |access-date=2012-03-02}}</ref> Payne died four days later, aged 77.<ref>{{cite news | work=The Star-Ledger | last=Giambusso | first=David | title=U.S. Representative Donald Payne dead at 77 | url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/hold_donald_payne.html | date=March 6, 2012}}</ref>

Payne was succeeded in Congress by his son, ], who served six terms until his death in office from a heart attack in 2024.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fox |first1=Joey |last2=Wildstein |first2=David |title=Donald Payne, six-term congressman from New Jersey, dies at 65 |url=https://newjerseyglobe.com/in-memoriam/donald-payne-dies-at-65/ |website=New Jersey Globe |date=24 April 2024 |access-date=April 24, 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
* ]
* ]


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist}} {{reflist|2}}


==External links== ==External links==
* '''official House site''' * ''official U.S. House website''
* {{CongLinks | congbio=p000149 | votesmart=26957 | fec=H0NJ10026 | congress= }}
*{{CongBio2|p000149}}
*{{C-SPAN|6108}}
* campaign finance reports and data
* at ]
* issue positions and quotes
*
* campaign contributions
* profile
* profile


{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{s-bef|before=]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of the ]<br>from ]|years=1989–2012}}
{{s-aft|after=]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the ]|years=1995–1997}}
{{s-aft|after=]}}
{{s-end}}


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state=New Jersey|
district=10|
before=] |
after=Incumbent |
years=1989–Present
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{{end box}}
{{NJ-FedRep}} {{NJ-FedRep}}
{{CBC Chairs}} {{CBC Chairs}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Donald M.}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Donald M.}}
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Latest revision as of 04:44, 3 December 2024

American politician (1934–2012) For persons of a similar name, see Donald Payne (disambiguation).
Donald Payne
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 10th district
In office
January 3, 1989 – March 6, 2012
Preceded byPeter Rodino
Succeeded byDonald Payne Jr.
Personal details
BornDonald Milford Payne
(1934-07-16)July 16, 1934
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedMarch 6, 2012(2012-03-06) (aged 77)
Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse Hazel Johnson ​ ​(m. 1958; died 1963)​
Children3, including Donald Jr.
RelativesWilliam D. Payne (brother)
Craig A. Stanley (nephew)
EducationSeton Hall University (BA)
Springfield College, Massachusetts
Donald M. Payne's voice Payne speaks on the AIDS epidemic in the United States
Recorded October 4, 1999

Donald Milford Payne Sr. (July 16, 1934 – March 6, 2012) was an American politician who was the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 10th congressional district from 1989 until his death. He was a member of the Democratic Party. The district encompassed 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.

Early life, education, and early political career

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 in Massachusetts. 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 1978, Payne ran against, and came in third to, Peter Shapiro in the June primary selecting the Democratic candidate for the first Essex County Executive, with Sheriff John F. Cryan coming in second.

In 1982, he was elected to the Newark Municipal Council and served three terms, resigning in 1988 shortly after his election to Congress.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

As early as 1974, Payne set out to become New Jersey's first African-American congressman. He ran against U.S. Congressman Peter Rodino in the 1980 and 1986 Democratic primaries-the real contest in this heavily Democratic, black-majority district-but lost both times. Rodino retired in 1988 after 40 years in Congress. Payne defeated fellow Municipal Councilman Ralph T. Grant Jr. by a nearly 4-to-1 margin in the Democratic primary, and was handily elected in November by a nearly 8-to-1 margin. He was re-elected eleven times with no substantive opposition; his lowest margin was 75 percent in 1994.

1996 Results

  • Don Payne (D) 84.16%
  • Vanessa Williams (R) 14.62%
  • Harley Tyler (NL) 0.79%
  • Toni Jackson (SWP) 0.43%

1998 Results

  • Don Payne (D) 84%
  • William Wnuck (R) 11%

2000 Results

  • Donald M. Payne (D) 87.5%
  • Dirk B. Weber (R) 12.1%
  • Maurice Williams (I) 0.4%

In the 2002 general election, Payne was reelected with 84.5% of the vote, receiving a higher margin of the vote than in any other New Jersey Congressional race run that year. In 2004, the Republicans didn't even put up a candidate, and Payne was reelected with 97% of the vote, against Green Party candidate Toy-Ling Washington and Socialist Workers Party candidate Sara J. Lobman. In 2006, Payne was unopposed in the primary and general elections. In 2008, he won 99% of the vote against Green candidate Michael Taber. In 2010, Payne defeated little-known candidate Micheal Alonso.

U.S. House of Representatives

General elections

Year Democrat Votes Republican Votes
1988 Donald M. Payne 84,681 Michael Webb 13,848

Primary elections

Year Democrat Votes
1980 Peter W. Rodino 26,943
1980 Donald M. Payne 9,825
1980 Golden E. Johnson 5,316
1980 Russell E. Fox 1,251
1986 Peter W. Rodino 25,136
1986 Donald M. Payne 15,216
1986 Pearl Hart 967
1986 Arthur S. Jones 931
1988 Donald M. Payne 40,608
1988 Ralph T. Grant Jr. 14,908

Tenure

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

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 was active on issues relating to Africa, particularly regarding the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan and the Western Sahara conflict.

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 the United 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 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 House Democrats who voted to not count the 20 electoral votes from Ohio in the 2004 presidential election. President George W. Bush won Ohio by 118,457 votes. Without Ohio's electoral votes, the election would have been decided by the U.S. House of Representatives, with each state having one vote in accordance with the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

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.

The Donald M. Payne International Development Fellowship is named in his honor.

Attack in Somalia
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2009)

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.

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Personal life

Several other of Payne's family members have held or currently hold public office. His son, Donald M. Payne Jr., was president of the Municipal Council of Newark and an Essex County Freeholder-At-Large, and was elected to fill his father's seat in Congress on November 6, 2012. His brother, William D. Payne, served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1998 to 2008. His nephew, Craig A. Stanley, served in the General Assembly from 1996 to 2008.

Death

Payne announced in a statement on February 10, 2012 that he was 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, because he was "gravely ill". Payne died four days later, aged 77.

Payne was succeeded in Congress by his son, Donald Payne Jr., who served six terms until his death in office from a heart attack in 2024.

See also

References

  1. May, Clifford D. "After 40 Years Making the Law, Rodino Now Teaches It", The New York Times, January 27, 1989. Accessed December 12, 2007. "Peter Rodino is one of my heroes, said Representative Donald Payne, who this month succeeded Mr. Rodino and became the first black Congressman from New Jersey."
  2. Congressional biography of Donald Milford Payne Jr., United States Congress. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
  3. Milestones In the History of African Americans and the YMCA.. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
  4. Sullivan, Joseph F. "2 Vie to Be First Jersey Black in Congress", "The New York Times", November 10, 1988. Accessed December 13, 2007. "He was elected president of the National Council of Y.M.C.A.'s in 1970. From 1973 to 1981 he was chairman of the World Y.M.C.A. Refugee and Rehabilitation Committee."
  5. Narvaez, Alfonso A. "Shapiro Links Essex County Victory to Hard Work", The New York Times, June 8, 1978. Accessed March 19, 2018. "Assemblyman Peter Shapiro today attributed his victory in the Democratic primary yesterday for Essex County Executive to hard work by hundreds of volunteers who manned telephones to bring out voters in suburban communities and to inroads made by Freeholder Donald M. Payne in urban areas where Sheriff John F. Cryan had expected stronger support."
  6. Friedman, Matt. "Pascrell, Donald Payne Jr. win key races in highly contested N.J. Congressional primaries", The Star-Ledger, June 5, 2012. Accessed April 18, 2019.
  7. Rizzo, Salvador "N.J. 10th Congressional District winner: Donald Payne Jr.", The Star-Ledger, November 6, 2012. Accessed April 18, 2019.
  8. Donald M. Payne, First Black Elected to Congress From New Jersey, Dies at 77,The New York Times, Raymond Hernandez, March 6, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  9. "Washington for Congress". 2009-10-27. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  10. "Membership". Congressional Black Caucus. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  11. U.S. Gets a Warning on Burundi Situation. The New York Times. Accessed December 13, 2007.
  12. Archived January 4, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  13. Final Vote Results for Roll Call 7, Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, January 6, 2005. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
  14. Salvato, Albert (29 December 2004). "Ohio Recount Gives a Smaller Margin to Bush". The New York Times.
  15. Congress at the Midterm: Their 2005 Middle-Class Record, Drum Major Institute. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
  16. USAID's Donald M. Payne International Development Fellowship Program. Retrieved May 6, 2024
  17. "U.S. lawmaker safe after plane fired on in Somalia". CNN.com. 2009-04-13. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  18. "Africa | Somali mortars miss US politician". BBC News. 2009-04-13. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  19. "Somali Insurgents Fire at Plane Leaving Mogadishu With U.S. Congressman Aboard - washingtonpost.com". Feeds.washingtonpost.com. April 14, 2009. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  20. David Giambusso (February 11, 2012). "Despite cancer treatments, Payne will run for re-election, son says". Newark Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
  21. "NJ Rep. Donald Payne says he is suffering from colon cancer, vows to keep serving in Congress". The Washington Post. February 10, 2012. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
  22. "Rep. Donald Payne, battling colon cancer, flown back to New Jersey". The Hill. March 2, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
  23. "Rep. Donald Payne gravely ill". Politico. March 2, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
  24. Giambusso, David (March 6, 2012). "U.S. Representative Donald Payne dead at 77". The Star-Ledger.
  25. Fox, Joey; Wildstein, David (24 April 2024). "Donald Payne, six-term congressman from New Jersey, dies at 65". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved April 24, 2024.

External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded byPeter Rodino Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 10th congressional district
1989–2012 		Succeeded byDonald Payne Jr.
Preceded byKweisi Mfume Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus
1995–1997 		Succeeded byMaxine Waters
New Jersey's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Representatives
(ordered by district)
Chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus
Categories: