NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Days before U.S. Rep. Donald Payne died of cancer, it wasn't the phone calls of encouragement from presidents that cheered him. It was when a Washington hospital orderly recognized the New Jersey congressman as the only U.S. official to visit his village in the African nation of Eritrea.
Hearing from the orderly how much the visit had meant, and knowing he had made a difference in the lives of people struggling against violence and poverty — from his native Newark, N.J., to sub-Saharan Africa — was the reason why Donald Payne had dedicated his life to public service, his brother William said Tuesday.
"He walked with kings, but never lost the common touch," William Payne said.
Donald Payne, the first black congressional member from New Jersey, passed away Tuesday at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, N.J. He was 77.
The 12-term member of the House had announced in February that he was undergoing treatment for colon cancer and would continue to represent his district. He was flown home to New Jersey on Friday from Georgetown University Hospital as his health took a sudden turn for the worse.
He was first elected in 1988 after twice losing to former Rep. Peter Rodino, who retired after 40 years in Congress.
Payne, often considered one of the most progressive Democrats in the state's delegation, was elected to a 12th term in 2010. He represented the 10th District, which includes the city of Newark and parts of Essex, Hudson and Union counties.
In Washington, he was remembered for his work as a defender of human rights, both at home and abroad.
President Barack Obama, who ordered flags lowered in Payne's honor, called him a "leader in US-Africa policy, making enormous contributions towards helping restore democracy and human rights across the continent."
Former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Payne a "force for peace and progress" in New Jersey and throughout the world.
"His impact was immeasurable and his legacy will live on in the lives he has touched," they said.
Payne was a member of House committees on education and foreign affairs. He served as chairman of the House subcommittee on Africa, and had traveled many times to the continent on foreign affairs matters.
He was remembered Tuesday as one of the first U.S. officials to speak out on the situation in Darfur and South Sudan.
"He was fearless in describing what was happening to people; he didn't mince words;" said Faith McDonnell, a member of the Act for Sudan coalition who worked with Payne on issues in the region. "This is a huge loss to the people of Darfur, and for all marginalized people, who I really regret won't have his voice and his helping hand the way others did."
During an April 2009 trip, mortar shells were fired toward Mogadishu airport as a plane carrying Payne took off safely from the Somali capital. Officials at the time said 19 civilians were injured in residential areas. Payne had met with Somalia's president and prime minister during his one-day visit to Mogadishu to discuss piracy, security and cooperation between Somalia and the United States.
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