AncientFaces Your browser does not support JavaScript!
Please enable JavaScript to view the entire contents of this page.

John Robert Lewis 1940 - 2020

John Robert Lewis was born on February 21, 1940 in Troy, Pike County, Alabama United States to Willie Mae (Carter) Lewis and Eddie Lewis. He married Lillian (Miles) Lewis in 1968 and they later divorced on December 31, 2012. He had a child John-Miles Lewis. John Lewis died at age 80 years old on July 17, 2020.

John Robert Lewis

February 21, 1940

Troy, Pike County, Alabama, United States

July 17, 2020

Male

Looking for another John Lewis?

John Robert Lewis John Lewis (1940 - 2020)

ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM

This page exists for YOU
and everyone who remembers John.

Share what you know,
even ask what you wish you knew.

Invite others to do the same,
but don't worry if you can't...

Someone, somewhere will find this page,
and we'll notify you when they do.

John Robert Lewis' History: 1940 - 2020

Uncover new discoveries and connections today by sharing about people & moments from yesterday.

- Discover how AncientFaces works.

Introduction

From Wikipedia: John Lewis served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020 (17 terms) from pancreatic cancer. Lewis served as the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from 1963 to 1966. Lewis was one of the "Big Six" leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington, and he fulfilled many key roles in the civil rights movement and its actions to end legalized racial segregation in the United States. In 1965, Lewis led the first of three Selma to Montgomery marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. In an incident which became known as Bloody Sunday, state troopers and police then attacked the marchers, including Lewis.
02/21

1940

Birthday

February 21, 1940

Birthdate

Troy, Pike County, Alabama United States

Birthplace

ADVERTISEMENT BY
Ethnicity & Family History

African-American
Nationality & Locations

United States
Early Life & Education

Fisk University, American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee
Religious Beliefs

Baptist
Professional Career

US Congressman from 1986 until he died. He was a leader of the Democratic Party in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1991 as a Chief Deputy Whip and from 2003 as Senior Chief Deputy Whip. Lewis received many honorary degrees and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Personal Life & Family

Nashville Student Movement, Freedom Rider, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), chairman, Field Foundation, SRC, Voter Education Project, VISTA, Foster Grandparent Association, Atlanta City Council, just to name a few organizations. United States Representative.
07/17

2020

Death

July 17, 2020

Death date

pancreatic cancer

Cause of death

Unknown
Death location

ADVERTISEMENT BY
share

Memories

below

Join 4 others
who remember John

Select options below to share special moments.

Baptism Military Service Gravesite & Burial Obituary Add Memory Add Photo Ask others to share How this works

Share what you remember.
Ask what you wish to know.
Connect to discover more.
Advertisement
Did you know?

John Robert Lewis lived 9 years longer than the average family member when died at the age of 80.

ADVERTISEMENT BY
Looking for more information?
share

Memories

below

3 Memories, Stories & Photos about John

Kathy Pinna

32.7k+ favorites

07/30/2020

John Robert Lewis

A photo of John Lewis being arrested by police in a1960s civil rights protest. To read his biography, click on his name (below and to the right). What a life!

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

Comments

AncientFaces

411 favorites

07/30/2020

He insisted that "hate and fear be answered with love and hope" - George W. Bush at the funeral of John Lewis, July 30,2020. RIP Rep Lewis.

Favorite

AncientFaces

via Facebook

07/30/2020

He was quoting John Lewis - who was ordained a Baptist minister

Favorite

Kathy Pinna

32.7k+ favorites

07/30/2020

John Robert Lewis

A photo of Rep John Lewis in his later years.

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

Comments

Kathy Pinna

32.7k+ favorites

07/30/2020

A short biography from Wikipedia

John Lewis was the third of ten children of Willie Mae (née Carter) and Eddie Lewis. His parents were sharecroppers in rural Pike County, Alabama.

As a boy, Lewis aspired to be a preacher;[ at age five, he was preaching to his family's chickens on the farm. As a young child, Lewis had little interaction with white people; by the time he was six, Lewis had seen only two white people in his life. As he grew older he began taking trips into town with his family, where he experienced racism and segregation, such as at the public library in Troy. Lewis had relatives who lived in northern cities, and he learned from them that the North had integrated schools, buses, and businesses. When Lewis was 11, an uncle took him on a trip to Buffalo, New York, making him more acutely aware of Troy's segregation.

In 1955, Lewis first heard Martin Luther King Jr. on the radio and he closely followed King's Montgomery bus boycott later that year. At age 15, Lewis preached his first public sermon. Lewis met Rosa Parks when he was 17, and met King for the first time when he was 18.

Comments

Loading...one moment please

- See how biographies work.

Be the 1st to share and we'll let you know when others do the same.

ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM

John Lewis' Family Tree & Friends

John Lewis' Family Tree

Willie Mae (Carter) Lewis

Eddie Lewis

John Robert Lewis Feb 21, 1940 - Jul 17, 2020

Partner

Child

Sibling

Marriage

Lillian (Miles) Lewis