Tennessee's 6th congressional district

Tennessee's 6th congressional district
Tennessee's 6th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative Diane Black (R–Gallatin)
Population (2000) 632,143
Median income $39,721
Ethnicity 90.3% White, 6.4% Black, 0.9% Asian, 2.6% Hispanic, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% other
Cook PVI R+15[1]

The 6th Congressional District of Tennessee is a congressional district in Middle Tennessee. From 2003 to 2015 it included all of Bedford, Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Jackson, Macon, Marshall, Overton, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, and White Counties, as well as a portion of Wilson County. Republican Diane Black represents the district as of 2015.

The district is located in north-central Tennessee and borders Kentucky. Its present configuration dates from the 1980 Census, when Tennessee picked up a district. At that time, a large portion of the old 4th District was shifted to the new 4th District, and the remainder of the old 4th was renumbered as the 6th District.

Two men who would later achieve national prominence in politics represented most of the territory now in the 6th District--President James K. Polk and Vice President Al Gore.

Ancestrally Democratic since the days of Andrew Jackson, the 6th has become increasingly friendly to Republicans in the last decade as Nashville's suburbs have spread further into this once-rural district, especially into Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties. With close access to interstates 24, 40, and 65, subdivisions are sprouting almost exponentially, fast filling with new economy managers. Not surprisingly, it has voted for Republican presidential candidates in all but one election since 1980, even against Gore in 2000 by a narrow margin.

After the 2000 United States Census, the Tennessee General Assembly shifted many of the suburban areas--most notably Williamson County, the most Republican county in Middle Tennessee) to the 7th District. However, despite the district's fast growth, it will be difficult to shift more of the district's suburban territory elsewhere due to sluggish population growth in the more rural areas.

At the local level, however, politics are somewhat more split, with the more rural counties continuing to elect conservative Democrats, while the newer suburban areas are now dominated by Republicans, who usually displaced the older "Dixiecrat" establishments in those counties.

Diane Black was elected in the Republican landslide of 2010 when Democrat Bart Gordon decided to end a 26-year career in Congress. Black's victory marked the first time that much of the district had been represented by a Republican since 1921, and for only the second time since Reconstruction.

List of representatives

Name Years Party District Residence Notes
District created March 4, 1813
Parry W. Humpreys March 4, 1813 - March 4, 1815 Democratic-Republican Nashville
James B. Reynolds March 4, 1815 - March 4, 1817 Democratic-Republican
George W. L. Marr March 4, 1817 - March 4, 1819 Democratic-Republican
Henry H. Bryan March 4, 1819 - March 4, 1821 Democratic-Republican
Vacant March 4, 1821 - January 3, 1823 Henry H. Bryan re-elected but failed to qualify for 17th Congress
James T. Sandford March 4, 1823 - March 4, 1825 Jacksonian D-R
James K. Polk March 4, 1825 - March 4, 1833 Jacksonian Columbia Redistricted to the 9th district, US President 1845-1849
Balie Peyton March 4, 1833 - March 4, 1835 Jacksonian
March 4, 1835 - March 4, 1837 Anti-Jacksonian
William B. Campbell March 4, 1837 - March 4, 1843 Whig Carthage
Aaron V. Brown March 4, 1843 - March 4, 1845 Democratic Nashville Redistricted from the 10th district
Barclay Martin March 4, 1845 - March 4, 1847 Democratic Columbia
James H. Thomas March 4, 1847 - March 4, 1851 Democratic Columbia
William H. Polk March 4, 1851 - March 4, 1853 Independent Democrat Columbia
George W. Jones March 4, 1853 - March 4, 1859 Democratic Fayetteville Redistricted from the 5th district
James H. Thomas March 4, 1859 - March 4, 1861 Democratic Columbia
American Civil War
Sanuel M. Arnell July 24, 1866 - March 4, 1867 Unconditional Unionist Columbia
March 4, 1867 - March 4, 1871 Republican
Washington C. Whitthorne March 4, 1871 - March 4, 1875 Democratic Columbia Redistricted to the 7th district
John F. House March 4, 1875 - March 4, 1883 Democratic Clarksville
Andrew J. Caldwell March 4, 1883 - March 4, 1887 Democratic Nashville
Joseph E. Washington March 4, 1887 - March 4, 1897 Democratic Robertson County
John W. Gaines March 4, 1897 - March 4, 1909 Democratic Nashville
Jo Byrns March 4, 1909 - March 4, 1933 Democratic Nashville Redistricted to the 5th district
Clarence W. Turner March 4, 1933 - March 23, 1939 Democratic Waverly Died
Vacant March 23, 1939 - May 11, 1939
W. Wirt Courtney May 11, 1939 - January 3, 1943 Democratic Franklin Redistricted from the 5th district, Redistricted to the 7th district
Percy Priest January 3, 1943 - January 3, 1953 Democratic Columbia Redistricted to the 5th district
James P. Sutton January 3, 1953 - January 3, 1955 Democratic Lawrenceburg Redistricted from the 7th district
Ross Bass January 3, 1955 - November 3, 1964 Democratic Pulaski Resigned after being elected to US Senate
Vacant November 3, 1964 - January 3, 1965
William R. Anderson January 3, 1965 - January 3, 1973 Democratic Waverly
Robin Beard January 3, 1973 - January 3, 1983 Republican Somerville
Al Gore January 3, 1983 - January 3, 1985 Democratic Carthage Redistricted from the 4th district
Bart Gordon January 3, 1985 - January 3, 2011 Democratic Murfreesboro Retired
Diane Black January 3, 2011 - Present Republican Gallatin Incumbent

Historical district boundaries

2003 - 2013

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-10.

External links

Coordinates: 36°11′41″N 85°46′42″W / 36.19472°N 85.77833°W