John Lewis | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's5th district | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – July 17, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Wyche Fowler |
| Succeeded by | Kwanza Hall |
| 3rd Chairman of theStudent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee | |
| In office June 1963 – May 1966 | |
| Preceded by | Charles McDew |
| Succeeded by | Kwame Ture |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Robert Lewis (1940-02-21)February 21, 1940 Troy,Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | July 17, 2020(2020-07-17) (aged 80) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | American Baptist College (BA) Fisk University (BA) |
| Website | House website |
John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights leader. He was theU.S. Representative forGeorgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020. He was the dean of theGeorgia congressional delegation. He was a member of theDemocratic Party.
Lewis, who as chairman of theStudent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was one of the "Big Six" leaders of groups who organized the 1963March on Washington.[1]
John Lewis was born in 1940 inTroy, Alabama to Eddie Lewis and Willie Mae Lewis (née Carter), who weresharecroppers inPike County, Alabama.[2][3][4][5] Sharecroppers were people who were allowed to rent a part of a piece of land for return of a share of the crops they harvested. He was the third of ten children.
He experiencedsegregation as a young boy in the Southern United States. When he went to visit relatives in the Northern US, he learned that places there were integrated and served Black people and white people equally.[6]
Lewis married Lilian Miles in 1968. They had a son, John-Miles. Lillian died on December 31, 2012.[7]
In December 2019, Lewis was diagnosed with stage IVpancreatic cancer.[8] He died inAtlanta, Georgia on July 17, 2020 from the disease, aged 80.[9][10] His funeral was held atMartin Luther King Jr.'sEbenezer Baptist Church
john lewis The church he attended was attacked by the Ku Klux Klan in 1904.
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