Charlie Rangel is the gravelly-voiced Congressman who represents Harlem, Spanish Harlem, and Washington Heights. Of course, you probably know him best for his near-constant appearances on the cable news circuit.

A lifelong Harlem resident, Rangel served as a sergeant in an all-black artillery battalion in the Korean War when he was just a teenager. After returning to the States, he toiled as a vacuum salesman before sailing through NYU (on the GI Bill) and St. John's Law School, then went to work as a U.S. attorney in Robert F. Kennedy's Justice Department. Following two terms as a state assemblyman, Rangel was elected to the House of Representatives in 1970, when he upstaged Adam Clayton Powell in the Democratic primary. Rangel became one of Harlem's chief powerbrokers during the '80s and '90s, and generally, he's been a reliably liberal voice on the big issues that have historically plagued his district: poverty, drug abuse, and inadequate public education.

One of the longest-serving Democrats in the House, to many Rangel is just as well known for his occasional theatrics. He's been arrested on a handful of occasions in order to make a statement, and in 2003 he made headlines when he proposed reinstating the draft, making the point that politicians wouldn't be so eager to go to war if there was a chance their children could be drafted. Over the years Rangel has taken heat for his off-the-cuff comments to reporters, which is probably to be expected when you spend as much time in front of cameras as he does. In 2005 he called Bill Clinton a "redneck," eliciting an outcry. During the heated 2006 Congressional elections, Rangel called Dick Cheney "a real son of a bitch" and suggested he needed mental help. But it isn't merely by opening his mouth that Rangel lands himself in hot water. In July 2008, Rangel faced a mountain of controversy after the New York Times revealed that—despite his stated concern about Harlem's dwindling supply of rent-controlled apartments—the congressman lives in three adjacent rent-controlled units on the 16th floor of Harlem's Lenox Terrace thanks to a questionable arrangement with developer the Olnick Organization; he also has a rent-controlled campaign office in the building, even though state and city regulations prohibit the practice. [Image via Getty]