Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have remembered congressman and civil rights leader Elijah Cummings for his honor and commitment to service.

Speaking to mourners at Cummings' funeral Friday, Clinton recalled the congressman's talent for speaking and "his booming voice."

Obama said that when the path ahead looked difficult, that's when Cummings' voice mattered most.

He also noted Cummings' upbringing as the son of sharecroppers, saying his parents passed on strength and grit but also kindness and faith.

Obama said Cummings reminded us "that it falls upon each of us to preserve and nurture our democracy."

Cummings died Oct. 17 at age 68 of complications from longstanding health problems. A son of sharecroppers, he became a lawyer and elected official.

He represented a congressional district that includes his hometown of Baltimore since 1996 and most recently led one of the U.S. House committees conducting an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.

On Thursday, he became the first African American lawmaker to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol.

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