A sharecropper's son who rose through the seats of power to become one of the nation's most influential voices. A Republican who went on to lead the U.S. Supreme Court's liberal wing. This year saw the deaths of people who shifted culture through prose, pragmatism and persistence. In 2019, the political world lost a giant in U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings. Determined to prove that counselor wrong, Cummings not only became a lawyer but went on to become an influential congressman and champion of civil rights.

Source: International New York Times December 16, 2019 18:33 UTC