WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell, whose career in New Jersey’s gritty politics spanned four decades and who in his later years became known for his sharp criticism of Donald Trump, died Wednesday, according to a statement from his family on his official X account.
He was 87.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away this morning,” the statement said. “As our representative in the United States, Bill fought until his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved. Bill was a lifelong resident of Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served. He is now at peace after a lifetime of dedication to our great nation, America.”
Pascrell’s death comes as Democrats are gathering for their convention in Chicago, where Vice President Kamala Harris will accept her party’s nomination. Those expected to honor Pascrell from the convention stage Wednesday include Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
The 14-term congressman was hospitalized for nearly a month this summer after developing a fever caused by a respiratory illness. He was released to a rehabilitation center on Aug. 7, but was readmitted to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J., just four days later.
The combative octogenarian was the second-oldest member of the House of Representatives, behind only retiring Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif. The oldest member of Congress is Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who turns 91 on Sept. 17.
Pascrell was the second New Jersey congressman to die this year. Fellow Democrat Donald Payne Jr. died April 24 at age 65 after suffering a heart attack caused by complications from diabetes.
Pascrell ran again for his 9th District seat in November.
Because the vacancy arose before the Aug. 27 deadline, 70 days before the general election, Democratic members of the county committee can select a new candidate no later than Aug. 29, according to state election law.
Pascrell, seeking a 15th term, was the favorite to face Republican Billy Prempeh, his opponent in his last two elections. In 2022, Pascrell defeated Prempeh by more than double digits, 55% to 43%, in the deep-blue 9th Congressional District; Joe Biden defeated Trump there by 19 percentage points in 2020.
The grandson of Italian immigrants, William James Pascrell Jr. was born on January 25, 1937, in Paterson, New Jersey’s third-largest city, where he was later elected mayor. He served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve and was honorably discharged in 1967.
After graduating from Fordham University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in philosophy, Pascrell taught high school history and served as an adjunct professor.
His political career began in the late 1970s through local school boards: first on the Paterson School Board, where he served as chairman, then as a member of the Passaic County Community College board of trustees.
Pascrell was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1987. Just a few years later, he won the mayoral election in Paterson, holding both offices simultaneously, as was common in the Garden State at the time, until he was elected to Congress in 1996.
In Washington, Pascrell served on the House Transportation and Infrastructure, Homeland Security, Budget and Small Business committees. Since 2007, he has served on the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, where he led the fight for access to Trump’s personal tax returns.
During his time in Congress, Pascrell fought to restore the full state and local tax deduction (SALT), which benefited his New Jersey constituents; to develop offshore wind and other clean energy projects; and to increase awareness of traumatic brain injuries, particularly among soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But a younger generation came to know Pascrell through his sharp, unabashedly partisan attacks on Trump, delivered via the then-president’s preferred communication medium: Twitter, now known as X.
After Trump’s now-infamous comment about “s—hole countries,” Pascrell tweeted that Trump had “made a fool of himself” on the world stage and “displayed his intolerant tendencies in ways that would make Archie Bunker blush.”
He later lashed out at Trump and his “soulless minions” for the “countless dead Americans” over their handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pascrell recently posted daily on X: “Good morning. Republican Donald Trump is a convicted felon,” with a photo of Trump and the word: “FELON.”
On May 12, Pascrell tweeted a dire warning about the possibility of a second Trump presidency.
“Numerous news reports and Donald Trump’s own words have revealed that Trump plans to impose a dictatorship and use the military against his critics if he seizes power again,” he tweeted, next to a tank with a Trump sticker stamped over the American flag. “I’m going to post this repeatedly so no one can say they weren’t informed.”
Pascrell is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Elsie Marie Botto, three children and five grandchildren.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
