Casket Procession Set For New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Former constituents will get a chance to walk alongside the military caisson that will carry New Jersey Congressman Donald Payne's body Tuesday.
The remains will be transported from the Historic Essex County Courthouse for another viewing at Newark's Metropolitan Baptist Church.
His funeral is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Payne died March 6 at St. Barnabas Hospital after a battle with colon cancer. He had been undergoing treatment in Washington, D.C., and was flown to New Jersey days before he died.
He represented the 10th district, which covers parts of Essex, Hudson and Union counties, for 23 years. Payne was elected for a 12th term in 2010 and was the Garden State's first black congressman.
He was also a member of House committees on education and foreign affairs and served as chairman of the House subcommittee on Africa.
Payne is remembered as one of the first U.S. officials to speak out on the situation in Darfur and South Sudan.
President Barack Obama called him a "leader in US-Africa policy, making enormous contributions towards helping restore democracy and human rights across the continent."
He left behind three children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
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