John Lewis (Georgia politician)

[[Image:Lewis_john.jpg|right|thumb|Rep. John Lewis]] '''John Robert Lewis''', born February 21, 1940 (age {{age|1940|2|21}}) in Troy, Alabama, is a liberal Democratic Congressman from [[Georgia]]'s 5th congressional district in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]]. Lewis gained national fame as a leader of the [[Civil Rights Movement]] in the 1960s, playing prominent roles in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches and community organizations. First elected to the house in 1986, his district covers most of [[Atlanta]]. He is the second [[African American]] to represent Georgia in Congress since Reconstruction. Since his district is heavily Democratic, he has faced no significant opposition in over 20 years in Congress. In the Bush years he was a strong critic of the [[War in Iraq]] and called for the impeachment of [[President]] [[George W. Bush]]. <ref>http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.aspx?GUID={4F82A869-1F1D-474C-A16E-04F7505A2EC9}</ref> Lewis sparked controversy in the [[2008 presidential election]] when he compared Republican candidate [[John McCain]] to 1960s segregationist [[George Wallace]]. :"During another period, in the not too distant past, there was a governor of the state of Alabama named George Wallace who also became a presidential candidate. George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama."<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/13/mccain.interview/?iref=mpstoryview</ref> McCain responded by saying, "The notion that legitimate criticism of Senator Obama's record and positions could be compared to Governor George Wallace, his segregationist policies and the violence he provoked is unacceptable and has no place in this campaign."<ref>http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/1d9b670d-a06d-4c91-ba0e-59c25374780b.htm</ref> ==References== <references/> {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, John}} [[Category:United States Representatives]] [[Category:110th United States Congress]] [[category:1960s]] [[category:Black History]] [[category:Civil Rights Leaders]] [[category:The South]] [[category:Reagan Era]] [[category:Obama Administration]] [[Category:Georgia]]