The late Rep. John Lewis brought Georgia together Wednesday as political leaders gathered at the Capitol to pay their respects.

Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms are still fighting each other in court with his lawsuit over her mask mandate and other precautions against the spread of COVID-19 that are more restrictive than his. But they stood side by side as they greeted the flag-draped casket and watched uniformed soldiers carry it up the steps with meticulous precision.

With them was state Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus—known as the dean of the House of Representatives. Smyre stood to the mayor's right and first lady Marty Kemp stood to the governor's left. They all wore masks. Then they went inside together to the rotunda for the congressman to lie in state. They gave eulogies in a ceremony attended by legislators, constitutional officers, Chief Justice Harold Melton of the Georgia Supreme Court and Chief Judge Chris McFadden of the Court of Appeals.

Lewis was born in 1940 near Troy, Alabama, one of 10 children. He said he wanted to be a preacher and practiced on the chickens. He left the family farm for college and went on to lead the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, studying and practicing the art of peaceful demonstration for social change. He took part in lunch counter sit-ins and bus freedom rides to protest segregation and discrimination. He was arrested 40 times and often badly beaten in the process. He was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington in 1963, calling for change to a quarter-million people. That was also the day Martin Luther King Jr. said, "I have a dream that one day my four little children will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Lewis was nearly killed in 1965 when he was attacked by police as he led the march from Selma to Montgomery. It was a peaceful protest against the practice of preventing African Americans from voting with so-called literacy tests that posed such questions as how many bubbles are in a bar of soap.

Lewis went to work for President Jimmy Carter in Washington helping run a volunteer program. Then he settled in Atlanta. He was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 1981, then to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986. He has served Georgia's 5th district for the past 34 years.

He died July 17 at the age of 80 of pancreatic cancer.

"We all have stories of his personal charm, his greatness, his many struggles and the strength of his character," Smyre said. "Having been elected in 1974 over 46 years ago brings to mind the events of March 7, 1965, 'Bloody Sunday.' John paid a heavy price on the Selma to Montgomery march as he was badly beaten and thought he had died. It was because of his courage, commitment to the struggle and getting in good trouble that gave me and many others the opportunity to seek public office. History records that it was the events of that dreaded day that led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which propelled and opened the way for African Americans to seek public office and bring needed change in creating good public policy, which determines our quality of life. He always stated that voting was so precious. People died for our right to vote."

Smyre recalled Lewis saying his family told him nothing could be done about injustice and instructed him, "Don't get in the way, and don't get in trouble."

"He was inspired by Rosa Parks, whom he met at 17 years old, and a year later, meeting Martin Luther King Jr. at 18 years of age," Smyre said. "These two people inspired John Lewis to get in the way and find necessary good trouble."

"Good Trouble" is the name of one of the books Lewis wrote and the name of a film released this year documenting his life and work.

In another book, "Walking With the Wind," he described helping hold down a house in a storm, continuously moving to the weakest parts while holding hands with his cousins. He used it as an analogy for the civil rights movement.

The governor called him "a titan of the civil rights movement, a beloved Georgian, an American hero and a friend to all who sought a better, fairer and more united society.

"Congressman Lewis changed our country in profound and immeasurable ways, and his legacy of passionate service is truly unmatched. The son of sharecroppers, John Lewis felt his calling at a young age and devoted every waking moment to the fight for justice, equality, access and opportunity for all people," Kemp said.

"When faced with fierce, violent opposition on a bridge in Selma, Alabama, John Lewis stared evil and injustice in the eye. He didn't turn back that Sunday, because he was grounded in a deep belief that our worth was given by God—not by man," Kemp said. "His example taught us that we have nothing to lose and everything to gain by working together and loving one another. And even today, as our country faces a public health crisis and new challenges rooted in injustice, I know that the example left behind by Congressman Lewis, the man who literally crossed the aisle to embrace retiring Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson, will inspire us all to do the hard, necessary work to overcome our shared challenges and emerge stronger."

The mayor called Lewis "an Alabama legend, an Atlanta icon and an American hero." She quoted Scripture, calling Lewis a "prophet."

"We gather here today in what was once a stronghold of the Confederacy—together—because this profit named John Lewis lived and loved," Bottoms said.

She used a poem Langston Huges wrote five years before Lewis was born to illustrate "the pain and promise of America."

"Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free. (America never was America to me.) Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed— Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above. (It never was America to me.) O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe."

She closed, to applause, with this verse:

"O, let America be America again—

The land that never has been yet—

And yet must be—the land where every man is free."

Lewis has been honored with ceremonies in Alabama and Washington. A final televised service Thursday at Ebenezer Baptist Church was private and by invitation because of the pandemic. Those in attendance included three former American presidents and many members of Congress.

He was buried at South-View Cemetery beside his wife, Lillian Miles Lewis. They married in 1968. She died in 2012. 

He is survived by their son, John-Miles Lewis, and many brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

He also left a last essay to be published on the day of his funeral. He concluded: 

"When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide."