Lewis was one of the last remaining figures in US politics to have led the 1963 March on Washington, which gave the impetus to repeal discriminatory legislation.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid respects to Lewis in a tweet late on Friday.

"@RepJohnLewis was a titan of the civil rights movement whose goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation. Every day of his life was dedicated to bringing freedom and justice to all," Pelosi wrote.

Lewis was born in 1940 into a farming family in Alabama where black communities were subjected to some of the most restrictive segregation and Jim Crow laws in the US.

He became an avid follower of Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. and took part in demonstrations and riots throughout the 1960s.

His congressional career began in 1987 when he was elected to represent Georgia’s fifth district in the lower chamber. Lewis headed various socially-oriented committees throughout his time as one of the country’s most recognizable lawmakers.

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 by then-President Barack Obama.