Obama eulogizes John Lewis as a 'founding father' of a 'fuller, fairer, better America'

Former President Barack Obama is remembering the late Rep. John Lewis as a "man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance."

Obama delivered a eulogy at Lewis' funeral service in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday, saying he owes a "great debt to John Lewis and his forceful vision of freedom" while calling the late congressmember "perhaps" Martin Luther King Jr.'s "finest disciple."

The 44th president also reflected on the United States as a "constant work in progress," saying that Lewis "brought this country a little bit closer to our highest ideals."

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"And someday, when we do finish that long journey towards freedom," Obama added, "when we do form a more perfect union, whether it's years from now or decades, or even if it takes another two centuries, John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America."

Obama was the third former president to speak at Lewis' funeral, with former President George W. Bush remembering the way Lewis insisted "that hate and fear had to be answered with love and hope" and former President Bill Clinton praising Lewis for fighting to "open the doors of America to all its people." Brendan Morrow