Representative Floyd Harold Flake

Floyd Harold Flake (born January 30, 1945) is an American businessman, minister, educator, and former politician who served as a Representative from New York in the United States Congress from 1987 to 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented New York’s 6th congressional district for six terms, contributing to the legislative process during a significant period in American history. Outside of Congress, he became widely known as the senior pastor of the 23,000-member Greater Allen African Methodist Episcopal Cathedral in Jamaica, Queens, New York, and later as the 18th president of Wilberforce University.

Flake was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Houston, Texas, as one of fifteen children of Robert Flake Sr. and Rosie Lee Johnson-Flake. Raised in a large family grounded in Christian moral beliefs, he was strongly influenced by his parents’ religious values and work ethic. After completing high school, he left Texas to pursue higher education, becoming the first member of his family to graduate from college.

Flake obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio. He later pursued theological and graduate studies, earning a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He undertook additional studies at Payne Theological Seminary and at Northeastern University School of Business, broadening his training in both ministry and management. Over the course of his career, he received honorary degrees from Boston University, Fisk University, Lincoln University, and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, reflecting his prominence in religious, educational, and civic life.

Before entering the ministry and national politics, Flake worked in social services and the private sector. He first served as a social worker, then joined Xerox as a marketing analyst. His career in higher education administration included positions as director of student affairs at Lincoln University and as dean of students and director of the Afro-American Center at Boston University. In 1976, he was asked to head the Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jamaica, Queens, which later became The Greater Allen Cathedral of New York. Under his leadership, the congregation grew from approximately 1,400 members to more than 23,000 parishioners, and the church developed extensive community, educational, and economic development programs.

In 1986, Flake entered electoral politics and defeated incumbent Democratic Congressman Alton Waldon in the primary for New York’s 6th congressional district. He was subsequently elected to the 100th United States Congress and took office in January 1987. The district he represented included Jamaica, Queens, and most of its surrounding neighborhoods, stretching from Ozone Park and Woodhaven to the border with Nassau County. Flake remained in the House of Representatives until 1997, when he resigned in the middle of his sixth term in order to return to work at his church full-time. During his decade in Congress, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his largely urban, overwhelmingly Democratic constituency, while at the same time garnering a reputation for working with conservative Republicans. Reflecting his independent political approach, he endorsed Republicans George Pataki for New York State governor and Rudy Giuliani for New York City mayor, and he later co-chaired conservative Republican Ken Blackwell’s 2006 campaign for governor of Ohio and endorsed Michael Bloomberg in the 2005 New York City mayoral election. In 1991, he joined an amicus brief in support of the New York City Council in Richmond Boro Gun Club v. City of New York, a case that upheld the council’s prohibition on the possession or transfer within New York City of assault weapons and certain ammunition feeding devices.

After leaving Congress, Flake continued to expand his role as a religious and community leader. As senior pastor of the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in Jamaica, Queens, he oversaw a large and complex religious institution. According to a published marketing description, the church and its subsidiary corporations operate with an annual budget of over $34 million and own extensive commercial and residential developments. The church also runs a 750-student private school founded by Flake and his wife, Margaret Elaine McCollins Flake, as well as various commercial and social service enterprises, making it one of the borough of Queens’ largest private-sector employers and a major real estate developer. Flake has also been a political patron and mentor to figures such as New York State Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith and Democratic U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks.

Flake returned to his alma mater as an academic leader, serving as the 18th president of Wilberforce University from 2002 to 2008. His tenure was marked by ambitious efforts to strengthen the institution but ended under heavy, publicized scrutiny and severe critique over his impact on the school, leading to his departure in 2008. In addition to his educational and pastoral work, he has held an ownership interest in Aqueduct Race Track Entertainment Group (AEG), which in January 2010 was awarded a contract by Governor David Paterson to operate a 4,500-slot-machine racino at the Aqueduct Race Track in Queens. The bidding process generated controversy amid claims that Paterson required affirmative action ownership in the company, that AEG was allowed to alter its bid from the lowest to the highest, and that the award came two days after Flake allegedly threatened to back Andrew Cuomo in the 2010 governor’s race. U.S. prosecutors reportedly investigated the process, and New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver threatened not to approve the deal. Paterson denied any quid pro quo. On March 9, 2010, Flake withdrew from the project, stating that it was distracting from his other work; Jay-Z and Paterson also withdrew from the venture.

Throughout his later career, Flake has remained active in national policy and corporate advisory roles. He has served on the President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education, the board of the Fannie Mae Foundation, the board of The Princeton Review, the New York City Investment Fund Civic Capital Corporation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Advisory Committee on Banking Policy, and the Bank of America National Advisory Board. He is also a fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. His leadership in Queens was formally recognized in October 2020, when Merrick Boulevard in southeastern Queens was renamed in his honor.

Flake’s personal life has intersected with his public role. He is married to Margaret Elaine McCollins, with whom he has four children. In 1990, he and his wife were indicted on charges alleging fraud and embezzlement of church funds. They pleaded not guilty, and in 1991, after three weeks of prosecution testimony, the presiding judge dismissed so much of the government’s case that prosecutors chose to drop all remaining charges. Interviews with jurors afterward indicated that, had the case proceeded, they would not have found the couple guilty on the remaining counts. Flake has also contributed to public discourse through writing, including his 1999 book “The Way of the Bootstrapper: Nine Action Steps for Achieving Your Dreams.”