… African American to serve as speaker pro tem, the member who presides in the speaker’s absence.
In 1996, he won the seat in the U.S. House of Representatives that Kweisi Mfume (D) vacated to become NAACP president. Mr. Cummings eventually served as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and as ranking Democrat and then chairman of what became the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
Former President Barack Obama said he and his wife Michelle are “heartbroken over the passing of our friend, Elijah Cummings.”
“It’s a tribute to his native Baltimore that one of its own brought such character, tact, and resolve into the halls of power every day,” he said in a statemnet.
He continued:
“And true to the giants of progress he followed into public service, Chairman Cummings stood tallest and most resolute when our country needed him the most. May his example inspire more Americans to pick up the baton and carry it forward in a manner worthy of his service.”