Elijah Cummings was an American politician, civil rights advocate, and author with an estimated net worth of $1.3 million at the time of his death in October 2019. His wealth was largely tied to his Baltimore home, valued at approximately $750,000, according to his final personal asset disclosure.
Cummings served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1983 to 1996, representing the 39th district, before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Maryland’s 7th district in 1996. He was a respected leader in Congress, becoming Chair of the House Oversight Committee in January 2019 and serving on several key committees, including Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Select Committee on Benghazi.
| Elijah Cummings Net Worth | $1.3 Million |
| Date of Birth | January 18, 1951 |
| Place of Birth | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Nationality | American |
| Career | politician, civil rights advocate, and author |
Salary
As a senior Congressman, Elijah Cummings earned an annual salary of $174,000.
Early Life
Elijah Eugene Cummings was born on January 18, 1951, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Ruth Elma and Robert Cummings, who were sharecroppers. He grew up with six siblings and, at the age of 11, helped integrate a segregated swimming pool in South Baltimore.
Cummings attended Baltimore City College, graduating with honors in 1969, and went on to Howard University, where he was active in student government and joined the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1973 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1976, later gaining admission to the Maryland bar. He practiced law for nearly two decades before entering Congress.
Political Career
Cummings began his political career in 1983 in the Maryland House of Delegates, eventually serving as Chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and becoming the first Black lawmaker named Speaker Pro Tempore in state history. He also served on several advisory boards, including the University of Maryland Law School Board of Advisors and the United States Naval Academy Board of Visitors.
Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996, Cummings was reelected 11 times. He chaired the Oversight Committee, presided over testimony from Michael Cohen, and led the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. He introduced bipartisan legislation such as the Presidential and Federal Records Act Amendments of 2014 and the All Circuit Review Extension Act, while also advocating for initiatives like the Smart Savings Act.
Cummings was also active in the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Arts Caucus, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and co-founded the Congressional Caucus on Drug Policy.
Personal Life
Elijah married Maya Rockeymoore on June 20, 2008, and they were together until his death in 2019. He had previously been married to Joyce Matthews, with whom he had a daughter, Jennifer, and he had two other children from other relationships. Cummings faced personal tragedies, including the murder of his nephew, Christopher Cummings, in 2011.
Health-wise, Cummings battled thymic carcinoma, a rare form of cancer, for over two decades and underwent multiple surgeries, including an aortic valve repair in 2017.
Death
Elijah Cummings passed away on October 17, 2019, at the age of 68 from complications related to longstanding health issues. On October 24, he became the first Black lawmaker to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol, with thousands paying their respects. His funeral at New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore was attended by notable figures including Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, John Lewis, Joe Biden, and Nancy Pelosi.
Honors
Throughout his life, Cummings received numerous honorary degrees, including:
- Doctor of Laws from Howard University (2003)
- Doctor of Humane Letters from Johns Hopkins University (2015)
- Doctor of Public Service from University of Maryland, College Park (2017)
He also posthumously published his memoir, “We’re Better Than This: My Fight for the Future of Our Democracy” (2020), which won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author.
Author: Andrew Walyaula
Andrew Walyaula is a seasoned multimedia journalist. Email: [email protected]
