John Lewis

== Personal life ==
===Marriage and family===
Lewis met his future wife Lillian Miles at a New Year's Eve party hosted by [[Xernona Clayton]]. Lillian worked for the library of Atlanta University at the time. The two of them married one year later in 1964.<ref>{{cite web |last1=RAPHAEL |first1=shannon |title=John Miles-Lewis Is the Only Child of the Late U.S. Representative, John Lewis |url=https://www.distractify.com/p/what-does-john-lewis-son-do |website=Distractify |date=July 30, 2020 |access-date=10 February 2023}}</ref> In 1966, they had a son, who also works in politics. Lillian died on December 31, 2012, the 45th anniversary of the couple's meeting. He has a grandson who lives in Paris.<ref>{{cite news |first=Michelle |last=Shaw |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local-obituaries/lillian-miles-lewis-wife-adviser-rep-john-lewis/xVff5GSZZAiolGRhhj765O/ |title=Rep. John Lewis' wife, Lillian, dies |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=January 3, 2013 |access-date=June 8, 2021 |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608230620/https://www.ajc.com/news/local-obituaries/lillian-miles-lewis-wife-adviser-rep-john-lewis/xVff5GSZZAiolGRhhj765O/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Illness and death ===
On December 29, 2019, Lewis announced that he had been diagnosed with stage IV [[pancreatic cancer]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/29/us/politics/rep-john-lewis-pancreatic-cancer.html |title=John Lewis, Congressman and Civil Rights Icon, Has Pancreatic Cancer |last=Cochrane |first=Emily |date=December 29, 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=December 30, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230001014/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/29/us/politics/rep-john-lewis-pancreatic-cancer.html |archive-date=December 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Remnick |first=David |title=The Ongoing Struggle of John Lewis |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-ongoing-struggle-of-john-lewis |access-date=December 31, 2019 |language=en |date=December 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230232628/https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-ongoing-struggle-of-john-lewis |archive-date=December 30, 2019 |url-status=live |magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref> He remained in the Washington D.C. area for his treatment. Lewis stated: "I have been in some kind of fight&nbsp;– for freedom, equality, basic human rights&nbsp;– for nearly my entire life. I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now."<ref>{{cite news |last=LeBlanc |first=Paul |title=Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis announces he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/29/politics/john-lewis-pancreatic-cancer/index.html |access-date=December 30, 2019 |work=CNN |date=December 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230000425/https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/29/politics/john-lewis-pancreatic-cancer/index.html |archive-date=December 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=US Rep John Lewis of Georgia says he has pancreatic cancer |url=https://wtop.com/national/2019/12/us-rep-john-lewis-of-georgia-says-he-has-pancreatic-cancer/ |access-date=December 30, 2019 |work=WTOP News |date=December 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230002208/https://wtop.com/national/2019/12/us-rep-john-lewis-of-georgia-says-he-has-pancreatic-cancer/ |archive-date=December 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{external media| float = right| width= 230px|video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?474215-1/memorial-service-rep-john-lewis-1940-2020 Memorial service for Lewis, at Troy University, Troy, Alabama, July 25, 2020], [[C-SPAN]]| video2= [https://www.c-span.org/video/?474216-1/edmund-pettus-bridge-processional-honor-rep-john-lewis-1940-2020 Edmund Pettus Bridge processional in honor of Lewis, July 26, 2020], [[C-SPAN]] |video3= [https://www.c-span.org/video/?474218-1/representative-john-lewis-casket-arrival-us-capitol&event=474218&playEvent Memorial service for Lewis at the U.S. Capitol, July 27, 2020], [[C-SPAN]]| video4= [https://www.c-span.org/video/?474223-1/representative-john-lewis-funeral-service-atlanta-georgia&event=474223&playEvent Funeral service for Lewis at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, July 30, 2020], [[C-SPAN]] }}
On July 17, 2020, Lewis died in [[Atlanta]] at the age of 80,<ref>{{cite news |date=July 17, 2020 |title=John Lewis, Georgia Congressman and Civil Rights Icon, Dies at 80 |url=https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/rep-john-lewis-dies-at-80/2470531/ |work=[[WCAU]] News |access-date=July 17, 2020 |archive-date=July 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718034614/https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/rep-john-lewis-dies-at-80/2470531/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=King |first=Tom Vanden Brook, Deborah Barfield Berry and Ledyard |title=Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon who began pushing for racial justice in the Jim Crow south, has died |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/17/rep-john-lewis-civil-rights-icon-original-freedom-rider-has-died/795340002/ |access-date=July 18, 2020 |newspaper=USA Today |language=en-US |archive-date=July 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718033826/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/17/rep-john-lewis-civil-rights-icon-original-freedom-rider-has-died/795340002/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/rep-john-lewis-has-died-2020-7 |title=Georgia congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis dies at age 80 |first1=Sonam |last1=Sheth |author2=Ellen Cranley |journal=Business Insider |access-date=July 18, 2020 |archive-date=March 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303101835/https://www.businessinsider.com/rep-john-lewis-has-died-2020-7 |url-status=live }}</ref> on the same day in the same city as his friend and fellow civil rights activist [[C. T. Vivian|C.T. Vivian]].<ref>{{cite news |last=McFadden |first=Robert D. |date=July 17, 2020 |title=C.T. Vivian, Martin Luther King's Field General, Dies at 95 |language=en-US |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/us/ct-vivian-dead.html |access-date=July 19, 2020 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718220330/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/us/ct-vivian-dead.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Lewis had been the final surviving [[Big Six (activists)|"Big Six" civil rights icon]].

Then-president [[Donald Trump]] ordered all flags to be flown at [[half-staff]] in response to Lewis's death.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/world-leaders-politicians-pay-homage-civil-rights-icon/story?id=71854525 |title=Trump tweets he's 'saddened' by John Lewis' death, world leaders pay tribute |first=William |last=Mansell |work=ABC News |access-date=July 19, 2020 |archive-date=July 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721023028/https://abcnews.go.com/US/world-leaders-politicians-pay-homage-civil-rights-icon/story?id=71854525 |url-status=live }}</ref> Condolences also came from the international community, with Swedish Prime Minister [[Stefan Löfven]], French President [[Emmanuel Macron]], Irish President [[Michael D. Higgins]] among others, all memorializing Lewis.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://thehill.com/policy/international/507943-international-community-pays-homage-to-american-civil-rights-icon-john |work=The Hill |title=International community pays homage to American civil rights icon John Lewis |date=July 18, 2020 |last=Axelrod |first=Tax |access-date=July 21, 2020 |archive-date=July 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721222609/https://thehill.com/policy/international/507943-international-community-pays-homage-to-american-civil-rights-icon-john |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishcentral.com/news/irish-president-tribute-civil-rights-hero-john-lewis |work=Irish Central |title=Irish president pays tribute to civil rights hero John Lewis |date=July 19, 2020 |access-date=July 21, 2020 |last=O'Brien |first=Shane |archive-date=July 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721091604/https://www.irishcentral.com/news/irish-president-tribute-civil-rights-hero-john-lewis |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Funeral services ===
Public ceremonies honoring Lewis began in his hometown of [[Troy, Alabama]] at [[Troy University]], which had denied him admission in 1957 due to [[racial segregation]]. His casket was then taken for a memorial held at the historic [[Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church (Selma, Alabama)|Brown Chapel AME Church]] in [[Selma, Alabama]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Maryland |first=Kimberly |date=July 27, 2020 |title=Alabama honors the legacy of John Lewis |language=en-US |work=Alabama News Center |url=https://alabamanewscenter.com/2020/07/27/alabama-honors-the-legacy-of-john-lewis/ |access-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729102514/https://www.alabamanewscenter.com/2020/07/27/alabama-honors-the-legacy-of-john-lewis/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Calls to rename the [[Edmund Pettus Bridge]] in Selma, in Lewis's honor grew after his death.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Li |last=Cohen |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-lewis-death-sparks-surge-in-support-to-rename-edmund-pettus-bridge-the-site-of-bloody-sunday-in-his-honor/ |title=John Lewis' death sparks surge in support to rename Edmund Pettus Bridge, the site of Bloody Sunday, in his honor |work=CBS News |date=July 18, 2020 |access-date=July 19, 2020 |archive-date=July 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719044755/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-lewis-death-sparks-surge-in-support-to-rename-edmund-pettus-bridge-the-site-of-bloody-sunday-in-his-honor/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/507939-support-swells-for-renaming-edmund-pettus-bridge-in-selma-to-honor-john-lewis |title=Support swells for renaming Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma to honor John Lewis after his death |first=Morgan |last=Gstalter |date=July 18, 2020 |newspaper=The Hill |access-date=July 19, 2020 |archive-date=July 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718161548/https://thehill.com/homenews/house/507939-support-swells-for-renaming-edmund-pettus-bridge-in-selma-to-honor-john-lewis |url-status=live }}</ref> On July 26, 2020, his casket, carried in a horse-drawn caisson, traveled the same route over the bridge that he walked during the [[Selma to Montgomery marches#"Bloody Sunday" events|Bloody Sunday]] march from Selma to Montgomery,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/us/selma-john-lewis-memorial.html |title=Selma Helped Define John Lewis's Life. In Death, He Returned One Last Time |first=Rick |last=Rojas |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 26, 2020 |access-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-date=July 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727230107/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/us/selma-john-lewis-memorial.html |url-status=live }}</ref> before his [[lying in state]] at the [[Alabama State Capitol]] in Montgomery.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/john-lewis-memorial-07-26-2020/index.html/ |title=Civil rights icon John Lewis remembered in Alabama |first=Fernando |last=Alfonso III |work=CNN |date=July 26, 2020 |access-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729050025/https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/john-lewis-memorial-07-26-2020/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

United States House of Representatives Speaker [[Nancy Pelosi]] and Senate Majority Leader [[Mitch McConnell]] announced that Lewis would lie in state in the [[United States Capitol Rotunda]] on July 27 and 28, with a public viewing and procession through Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Clark |first1=Dartunorro |title=Late Rep. John Lewis to lie in state at Capitol next week |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/late-rep-john-lewis-lie-state-capitol-next-week-n1234771 |work=NBC News |access-date=July 24, 2020 |language=en |date=July 23, 2020 |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724063617/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/late-rep-john-lewis-lie-state-capitol-next-week-n1234771 |url-status=live }}</ref> He is the first African-American lawmaker to be so honored in the Rotunda; in October 2019 his colleague, representative [[Elijah Cummings]], lay in state in the Capitol Statuary Hall.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Foran |first1=Clare |title=John Lewis is first Black lawmaker to lie in state in US Capitol Rotunda |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/27/politics/john-lewis-lies-in-state-capitol/index.html |access-date=July 28, 2020 |work=CNN |date=July 27, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728010024/https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/27/politics/john-lewis-lies-in-state-capitol/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Health concerns related to the ongoing [[COVID-19 pandemic]] led to a decision to have his casket displayed outdoors on the East Front steps during the public viewing hours, rather than the usual line of people in the Rotunda filing past the casket to pay their respects.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/07/27/how-to-pay-your-respects-to-congressman-john-lewis-at-the-us-capitol/ |title=How to Pay Your Respects to Congressman John Lewis at the US Capitol |first=Daniella |last=Byck |magazine=[[Washingtonian (magazine)|Washingtonian]] |date=July 27, 2020 |access-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728121051/https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/07/27/how-to-pay-your-respects-to-congressman-john-lewis-at-the-us-capitol/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/6a18bfd85ed62db8cfe0fedd7aa3c740/John-Lewis-Lies-in-State-at-US-Capitol/ |title=John Lewis Lies in State at US Capitol |website=UPI |date=July 28, 2020 |access-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728143828/https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/6a18bfd85ed62db8cfe0fedd7aa3c740/John-Lewis-Lies-in-State-at-US-Capitol/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/g33436304/john-lewis-funeral-photos/ |title=30 Photos from John Lewis's Funeral at the United States Capitol |first1=Kelly |last1=Sherin |first2=Jack |last2=Holmes |magazine=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] |date=July 27, 2020 |access-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729082558/https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/g33436304/john-lewis-funeral-photos/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On July 29, 2020, Lewis's casket left the U.S. Capitol and was transported back to Atlanta, Georgia, where he lay in state at the [[Georgia State Capitol]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/07/29/john-lewis-civil-rights-icon-lie-state-georgia-state-capitol/5521043002/ |title=Georgia governor hails John Lewis as an American hero, 'a titan of the civil rights movement' |first1=Nicquel Terry |last1=Ellis |first2=Chris |last2=Woodyard |newspaper=USA Today |date=July 29, 2020 |access-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729104630/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/07/29/john-lewis-civil-rights-icon-lie-state-georgia-state-capitol/5521043002/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Among the distinguished speakers at his final funeral service at Atlanta's [[Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta, Georgia)|Ebenezer Baptist Church]] were former U.S. Presidents [[Bill Clinton]], [[George W. Bush]], and [[Barack Obama]], who gave the eulogy. Former President [[Jimmy Carter]], unable to travel during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] due to his advanced age, sent a statement to be read during the service. The then-current President [[Donald Trump]] did not attend the service.<ref>{{cite news |last=Siddiqui |first=Sabrina |date=July 30, 2020 |title=At John Lewis's Funeral, Obama, Clinton and Bush Pay Tribute |language=en-US |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/former-presidents-pay-tribute-at-john-lewiss-funeral-11596130170 |access-date=July 30, 2020 |issn=0099-9660 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730211756/https://www.wsj.com/articles/former-presidents-pay-tribute-at-john-lewiss-funeral-11596130170 |url-status=live }}</ref> Lewis was buried at Atlanta's historic [[South-View Cemetery]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Toone |first1=Stephanie |title=What to know about the place where John Lewis will be buried |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/what-to-know-about-the-place-where-john-lewis-will-be-buried/B5PFWUGC25C55I4EH7SKXO27BE/ |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=July 29, 2020 |language=en |access-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-date=July 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731110504/https://www.ajc.com/news/what-to-know-about-the-place-where-john-lewis-will-be-buried/B5PFWUGC25C55I4EH7SKXO27BE/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Lewis penned an op-ed to the nation that was published in ''[[The New York Times]]'' on the day of his funeral.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lewis |first=John |date=July 30, 2020 |title=Opinion - John Lewis: Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/opinion/john-lewis-civil-rights-america.html |access-date=August 4, 2020 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803191532/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/opinion/john-lewis-civil-rights-america.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In it, he called on the younger generation to continue the work for justice and an end to hate.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Forgey |first=Quint |date=July 30, 2020 |title='Now it is your turn': John Lewis issues call to action in posthumous op-ed |language=en |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/30/john-lewis-posthumous-op-ed-387770 |access-date=August 4, 2020 |archive-date=August 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804103946/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/30/john-lewis-posthumous-op-ed-387770 |url-status=live }}</ref>