Houston Mayor John Whitmire referred to former mayor Sylvester Turner as the "best he had to follow" as he welcomed those outside of City Hall Tuesday morning to pay their respects to the late congressman.

Turner died Wednesday in his Washington, D.C., apartment. He was 70. On Tuesday, Houston City Hall welcomed Turner for a final time to honor that legacy.

U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas, who died this month just weeks into first term in Congress, was scheduled to lie in state at Houston City Hall on Tuesday in the first of several public events honoring the former Democratic lawmaker and mayor.