John Lewis (Georgia politician)
| John Lewis | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 5th district |
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Assumed office January 3, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Wyche Fowler |
| 3rd Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee | |
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In office June 1963 – May 1966 |
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| Preceded by | Charles McDew |
| Succeeded by | Stokely Carmichael |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Robert Lewis February 21, 1940 Troy, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Lillian Miles (1968–2012) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education |
American Baptist College (BA) Fisk University (BA) |
John Robert Lewis (born February 21, 1940) is an American politician and civil rights leader. He is the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 5th congressional district, serving since 1987, and is the dean of the Georgia congressional delegation. His district includes three quarters of Atlanta.
Lewis, who as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was one of the "Big Six" leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington, played many key roles in the Civil Rights Movement and its actions to end legalized racial segregation in the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, Lewis is a member of the Democratic leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and has served as a Chief Deputy Whip since 1991 and Senior Chief Deputy Whip since 2003.
Lewis has been awarded many honorary degrees and is the recipient of numerous awards from eminent national and international institutions, including the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
John Lewis was born in Troy, Alabama, the third son of Willie Mae (née Carter) and Eddie Lewis. His parents were sharecroppers. Lewis grew up in Pike County, Alabama. He has several siblings, including brothers Edward, Grant, Freddie, Sammy, Adolph, and William, and sisters Ethel, Rosa, and Ora. Lewis had seen only two white people in his life until age six. He was educated at the Pike County Training High School, Brundidge, Alabama, and also American Baptist Theological Seminary and at Fisk University, both in Nashville, Tennessee, where he became a leader in the Nashville sit-ins. While a student, he was invited to attend nonviolence workshops held in the basement of Clark Memorial United Methodist Church by the Rev. James Lawson and Rev. Kelly Miller Smith. There he became a dedicated adherent to the discipline and philosophy of nonviolence, which he still practices today.
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