As the Supreme Court readied to overturn Roe V. Wade, Congressman Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ 10th district) spoke during a rally outside of the Planned Parenthood on North Fullerton Ave. in Montclair, NJ on May 3, 2022.
© Amy Newman-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Newark, NJ) – Donald Payne Jr., a six-term congressman who was born in Newark, has died at the age of 65. A six-term congressman, Payne Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps by getting into politics. The democrat passed away after suffering a heart attack earlier this month and had dealt with a number of health issues in recent years.
Payne Jr. notably pushed for federal funding for clean water projects, which came into play for his home city. A House infrastructure bill passed while he held office led to the replacement of 24-thousand lead pipes in Newark, as water quality concerns in particular came into focus.
Before running for Congress, Payne Jr. served as the president of the Newark City Council for two years. The congressional seat he eventually held — New Jersey’s 10th District — was represented by Payne Jr.’s father from 1989 to 2012. Donald M. Payne was the first African-American to serve as a New Jersey congressman.
Tributes have come in from some of New Jersey’s other elected officials, including Governor Phil Murphy, who called Payne Jr. a “champion” for Garden State residents. New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer praised his fellow Democrat as a great leader and strong advocate for Newark.
