Michigan's 6th congressional district

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Michigan's 6th congressional district
Population (2000) 662,563
Median income $40,943
Ethnic composition 86.0% White, 8.9% Black, 1.1% Asian, 3.6% Hispanic, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% other
Cook PVI R+2
The 6th district boundaries for the 106th Congress, prior to redistricting in 2002
The 6th district boundaries for the 106th Congress, prior to redistricting in 2002

Michigan's 6th congressional district is a United States congressional district in southwest Michigan. It consists of all of Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren, counties, and includes most of southern and eastern Allegan and a portion of western Calhoun counties.

Contents

[edit] Major cities

[edit] History

Michigan's Sixth Congressional District was originally formed in 1862. At this time it had all the Upper Peninsula except Menominee, Delta and Mackinac counties.

The district was vaguely contiguous, in that it did not contain the Straits of Mackinac but did include Preque Isle County, which can be reached without going through another district's area. It included another 21 counties on the Lower Peninsula. The southern boundary of the district was formed by Clinton, Shiawasee, Genesee, Tuscola and Huron counties. The district had a population of 97,783.[1]

In 1872, the Sixth District was shifted southward. It retained Clinton, Shiawasee, and Genesee counties while adding Ingham, Livingston and Oakland counties. With 163,000 residents the district had 12,000 more inhabitants than the next most populous district, and 65,000 more residents than Michigan's least populous district.[2]

In 1882, Shiawasee County was removed from the district. The new district had about 165,000 people. In 1892, Clinton County was removed but the townships of Livonia, Nankin, Redford, Greenfield, Springwells, and Dearborn in Wayne County were added, as well as the part of Detroit west of Lawton. All of Greenfield, and parts of Springwells and Redford Townships have since been incorporated into the city of Detroit. This new district had a population of 190,539 that was 0.8% African-American.[3]

No changes were made in the boundaries of the district in 1902. Its population had risen to 221,699.[4]

It was not until 1932 that the boundaries of the 6th district were altered. In this year it lost its parts of Oakland and Wayne counties and was shifted to Ingham, Livingston, and Genesee Counties. These boundaries were not changed until 1964, when the district was redrawn to cover Jackson, Ingham, and Shiawasee counties.

In 1972, with the advent of attempts to follow the one man, one vote rule the district became very oddly drawn. It was essentially Jackson, Ingham, and Livingston counties, as well as the western portion of Washtenaw County.

In 1982 the district was redrawn to Ingham, Livingston, and northwestern Oakland counties with a finger stretching all the way to Pontiac. Waterford Township was in the district, as was Auburn Hills, but Orion Township, Rochester Hills and Bloomfield Hills were all in other districts. The boundaries also included Independence Township, White Lake Township, Rose Township, Springfield Township and Highland Township. Brighton and the areas directly east of it in Livingston County were also not in this district. Most of Lansing was put in the 3rd District. In Jackson County the district covered Henrietta Township, Rives Township, and Tompkins Township. In Clinton County it included Bath Township. In Shiawasee County the district included Antrim Township, Perry Township, Perry, and Woodhull Township.[5][6]

It was put in its current location in 1992, although there were minor changes in the districts boundaries at that time.

[edit] Representatives

Representative Party Years Congress
John F. Driggs Republican 1863-1869 38th-40th
Randolph Strickland Republican 1869-1871 41st
Jabez G. Sutherland Democratic 1871-1873 42nd
Josiah Begole Republican 1873-1875 43rd
George H. Durand Democratic 1875-1877 44th
Mark S. Brewer Republican 1877-1881 45th-46th
Oliver L. Spaulding Republican 1881-1883 47th
Edwin B. Winans [7] Democratic 1883-1887 48th-49th
Mark S. Brewer Republican 1887-1891 50th-51st
Byron G. Stout [8] Democratic 1891-1893 52nd
David D. Aitken Republican 1893-1897 53rd-54th
Samuel W. Smith Republican 1897-1915 55th-63rd
Patrick H. Kelley Republican 1915-1923 64th-67th
Grant M. Hudson Republican 1923-1931 67th-71st
Seymour H. Person Republican 1931-1933 72nd
Claude E. Cady Democratic 1933-1935 73rd
William W. Blackney Republican 1935-1937 74th
Andrew J. Transue Democratic 1937-1939 75th
William W. Blackney Republican 1939-1953 76th-82nd
Kit Clardy Republican 1953-1955 83rd
Donald Hayworth Democratic 1955-1957 84th
Charles E. Chamberlain Republican 1957-1975 85th-93rd
Bob Carr Democratic 1975-1981 94th-96th
Jim Dunn Republican 1981-1983 97th
Bob Carr Democratic 1983-1993 98th-102nd
Fred Upton Republican 1993-present 103rd-110th

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Parson, Beach and Dubin. Congressional Districts and Data p. 119
  2. ^ Parson et al.Congressional Districts and Data p. 180-181
  3. ^ Parsons, Dubin and Parsons. Congressional Districts. p. 222
  4. ^ Parsons et. al Congressional Districts p. 359
  5. ^ Barone, Michael and Grant Ujifusa. Alamanac of American Politics. (Washington: National Journal, 1983) p. 576
  6. ^ www.censu.gov maps
  7. ^ Edwin B. Winans was elected as a fusion candidate, but was seated in Congress with the Democratic Party.
  8. ^ Byron G. Stout was elected on a Democratic and Union ticket in 1890 to the 52nd Congress.

[edit] References

v • d • e
Michigan's congressional districts
Territory At-large 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
The 16th-19th and At-large districts are obsolete
See also: Michigan's past & present Representatives, Senators, and Delegations
All U.S. districts – Apportionment – Redistricting – Gerrymandering – Maps