Donald Payne Jr., a member of a prominent Newark political family who represented the city and nearby communities in Congress for over 11 years, died Wednesday following a heart attack brought on by complications from diabetes, his office said.
Payne, 65, entered Congress somewhat reluctantly in 2012 following the death of his father, Rep. Donald Payne Sr., who was the first Black person elected to Congress in New Jersey and who became one of the city’s luminaries during his more than two decades in Congress.
Though he never developed the high profile of his father and was stricken with health problems during the last several years that led to him to frequently vote by proxy, Payne Jr. was well-liked by his colleagues and served as chair and ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
On that committee, he was instrumental in securing funding for the biggest infrastructure project in the state: the Gateway Project to replace the dilapidated century-old train tunnels between New Jersey and Manhattan.
