Portrait of 'Sharecropper's son' lauded at Capitol

The official portrait of the late Democratic Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a sharecropper's son who rose to become the chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Reform Committee, was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. Cummings died in 2019 at age 68.

He was a formidable orator who passionately advocated for the poor in his district that encompassed a large portion of Baltimore. A number of House lawmakers remembered him shortly before his portrait was unveiled, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He was the first African American lawmaker to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol shortly after his death, and just the third African American to lie in honor there.