Rep. Donald Payne died on Tuesday at the age of 77 at St. Barnabas Hospital. Payne was the first African-American elected to represent New Jersey in Congress. In February, Payne, in his 12th term as a member of the House, announced he was undergoing treatment for colon cancer and would continue to represent his district. Payne was elected to a 12th term in 2010 after he had held his congressional seat since 1988. Payne represented the 10th District, which includes the city of Newark and sections of Essex, Hudson and Union counties.
Payne served as a member of House committees on education and foreign affairs. He served as chairman of the House subcommittee on Africa, and had traveled a number of times to Africa on matters of foreign affairs. Payne was also chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and congressional delegate to the United Nations. He was a teacher of Newark for 15 years and was a member of the Newark City Council from 1982, until his election in the House in 1988. Payne was a widower and leaves behind three children and four grandchildren.
