John Lewis (politician)

John Robert Lewis (born February 21, 1940) is an American politician and was an important leader in the American Civil Rights Movement as president of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He has represented the 5th District of Georgia (map) in the United States House of Representatives since 1987. The district takes in almost all of Atlanta.

Related Topics:
February 21 - 1940 - American - American Civil Rights Movement - Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee - Georgia - United States House of Representatives - 1987 - Atlanta

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Born in Troy, Alabama, the son of sharecroppers, Lewis was educated at the American Baptist Theological Seminary and at Fisk University, both in Nashville, Tennessee, where he became active in the local sit-in movement, within time he joined such other events like the Freedom Rides, he went on to become an important national leader in the civil rights struggle. Lewis became nationally known after his prominent role on the march to Selma, when police beat the nonviolently marching Lewis mercilessly in public, leaving head wounds that are still visible today. After leaving SNCC, he became community affairs director for the National Consumer Co-op Bank in Atlanta and a member of the Atlanta City Council before being elected to the House in 1986, defeating then-state senator Julian Bond, another national Civil Rights leader who went on to lead the NAACP. Lewis is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc..

Related Topics:
Troy, Alabama - Sharecroppers - American Baptist Theological Seminary - Fisk University - Nashville, Tennessee - Sit-in - Freedom Rides - Selma - 1986 - Julian Bond - NAACP - Congressional Black Caucus - Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

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He ran unopposed in the 2004 Congressional elections.

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