Former Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has died at the age of 79, according to a statement shared on social media by a family member.
Engel’s family said that the former congressman, who represented parts of New York City and its suburbs for more than three decades, passed away Friday “surrounded by family and loved ones” in the Bronx.
“During his over 44 years in public service, Eliot Engel fought tirelessly for his constituents at home and for peace and security around the world,” the family said. “We love and miss him dearly.”
Engel was born in Bronx County, N.Y., on Feb. 18, 1947, and served as a New York state assemblyman from 1977 until his election to Congress in 1988, according to a congressional biography.
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins praised Engel’s career in a statement, calling him a “fierce advocate” for his constituents in Westchester and the Bronx.
“His legacy is one of commitment, conviction and service,” Jenkins said. “He understood that public office is a responsibility to speak up, to stand firm and to deliver for the people who entrusted him with their voice.”
His 16-term tenure came to an end in 2020, when he lost the Democratic primary to former middle school principal Jamaal Bowman, one of several progressive challengers to oust longtime incumbents that election cycle. Bowman went on to win the seat in the general election that year.
Engel’s final years in office saw him helm the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, in which House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said he “consistently championed humanitarian development and diplomacy alongside a strong defense that made America and the world safer.”
“He was a gentle giant of a legislator, a trusted friend and a dear colleague to so many of us in the New York delegation and House Democratic Caucus family,” Jeffries said in a statement on Engel’s death. “We miss him deeply and mourn with his loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), who represents the south Bronx, hailed Engel in a statement on the social platform X as “one of the greatest champions” the borough had in Congress.
“He was a trailblazer for the Bronx in Washington, and a fierce advocate for Kosovo and the Albanian community at a time when few others were paying attention,” Torres wrote. “My deepest condolences go to his family and all who loved him.”
