Talk:Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district

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	Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district is part of WikiProject U.S. Congress, an attempt to build a comprehensive guide to the United States Congress.
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[edit] District history

It might be useful to provide a history of the 11th District and/or a chronological series of maps showing major changes to the district, given that Samuel Smith (Pennsylvania) represented northwestern Pennsylvania during his tour in the House (1805-1811), while the current representative covers a far off district in the Hazleton/Scranton area of eastern Pennsylvania. That seems a rather significant change over time that needs to be presented in this article somehow. Redistricting due to population changes noted on the decade is presumed to be of a geographically contiguous nature, so there would seem to be an obligation here to explain the stark change in district representation.

Here is what I have on Smith's district responsibilities:

Pennsylvania Archives, Fourth Series, edited by George Edward Reed, Vol IV, Papers of the Governors (1785-1817), (1900:Harrisburg, PA, by Wm Stanley Ray, State Printer), pp 587-89, 665-66, contains proclamations announcing the election of Representatives of Pennsylvania in the United States Congress. The first one, signed by the Governor of Pennsylvania on 12 December 1806, says that Samuel Smith was duly elected as the Representative of the District composed of the counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Mercer, Crawford, Erie, Venango, and Warren, and will take office on 4 March 1807 for a two-year term. The second proclamation is substantially the same but was signed 13 January 1809, and Smith would take office on 4 March 1809. --Pat (talk) 18:20, 7 January 2008 (UTC)