Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative Pat Meehan (R–Drexel Hill)
Population (2010) 692,866
Median income 73,638
Ethnicity
Cook PVI R+1[1]

Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district incorporates parts of the Philadelphia suburbs, including most of Delaware County along with portions of Chester County, Montgomery County, Berks County, and Lancaster County. It is currently represented by Republican Pat Meehan in the 115th United States Congress. The district's extreme non-congruity is widely considered to be the result of gerrymandering.[2]

Elections

Year Office Results
2002 Representative Weldon 66.09–33.91%
2004 President Kerry 53–47%
Representative Weldon 58.8–40.3%
2006 Representative Sestak 56.4–43.6%
2008 President Obama 56–43%
Representative Sestak 59.6–40.4%
2010 Representative Meehan 54.9–44.1%
2012 President Romney 50.4–48.5%
Representative Meehan 59.4–40.6%
2014 Representative Meehan 62.0–38.0%
2016 President Clinton 49.3–47.0%
Representative Meehan 59.5–40.5%

Geography

The 2013–2023 version of the district contains most of Delaware County outside of the City of Chester and the heavily African American townships and boroughs in the eastern portion of the county. It also contains parts of central Montgomery County, southern portions of Berks County, southern and central portions of Chester County, and a small portion of eastern Lancaster County. The district as it stood in October 2016 was named on NPR's On the Media as an egregious example of gerrymandering; the shape of the district was described as "Goofy kicking Donald Duck; the only point that is essentially contiguous there is Goofy's foot in Donald Duck's rear end. ... However these district lines are the building blocks of democracy, and when they get as perverted and twisted as this, it leads to deeply undemocratic outcomes."[3] The Washington Post listed it as one of the ten most gerrymandered districts in the country.[4]

The district from 2003 to 2013

The 2003–2013 version of the district was located in Southeastern Pennsylvania. It contained the western and northwestern suburbs of Philadelphia. It consisted of the majority of Delaware County (except for the City of Chester and some of the eastern boroughs), a portion of Chester County east of West Chester in the affluent Main Line area, and a portion of southern Montgomery County centered on Upper Merion Township.

Demographics

The district encompasses an area of diverse wealth, ranging from blue collar and working class households in the southeastern portions of Delaware County (mostly around in the oil refinery areas of Marcus Hook and Trainer) to the southern and western portions of the affluent Main Line area of Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties. The district is the home of several major colleges and universities, including Haverford College; Villanova University; Penn State Brandywine; Delaware County Community College; Eastern University; and Cheyney University, the first traditionally black college in the U.S. The district is also the home of Boeing's helicopter facility in Ridley Park. Chester, the only city in Delaware County, is split between the 7th district and 1st Congressional District, but is mostly in the 1st district.

Representatives

1791–1793: One seat

District created in 1791 from the at-large district

Representative Party Years District home Note
Thomas Hartley Pro-Administration March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793 Redistricted from the At-large district;
Redistricted to the At-large district

District redistricted in 1793 to the at-large district

1795–1823: One seat

District created in 1795 from the at-large district

Representative Party Years District home Note
John W. Kittera Federalist March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1801 Redistricted from the At-large district
Thomas Boude Federalist March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803
John Rea Democratic-Republican March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1811
William Piper Democratic-Republican March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1813 Redistricted to the 8th district
John M. Hyneman Democratic-Republican March 4, 1813 – August 2, 1813 Redistricted from the 3rd district;
Resigned
Vacant August 2, 1813 – October 12, 1813
Daniel Udree Democratic-Republican October 12, 1813 – March 3, 1815 Lost re-election
Joseph Hiester Democratic-Republican March 4, 1815 – December ????, 1820 Resigned to become Governor of Pennsylvania
Vacant December ????, 1820 – December 26, 1820
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Daniel Udree Democratic-Republican December 26, 1820 – March 3, 1821
Ludwig Worman Federalist March 4, 1821 – October 17, 1822 Earl Township Died
Vacant October 17, 1822 – December 10, 1822
Daniel Udree Democratic-Republican December 10, 1822 – March 3, 1823

1823–1833: Two seats

Seat A

Representative Party Years Congress Note
Henry Wilson Jackson Democratic-Republican March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 18th Died
Jacksonian March 4, 1825 – August 24, 1826 19th
Vacant August 24, 1826 – December 4, 1826
Jacob Krebs Jacksonian December 4, 1826 – March 3, 1827
Joseph Fry, Jr. Jacksonian March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1831 20th
21st		 Retired
Henry King Jacksonian March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833 22nd Redistricted to the 8th district

Seat B

Representative Party Years Congress Note
Daniel Udree Jackson Democratic-Republican March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 18th
William Addams Jacksonian March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829 19th
20th
Henry A. P. Muhlenberg Jacksonian March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1833 21st
22nd		 Redistricted to the 9th district

1833 – Present: One seat

Representative Party Years District home Note
David D. Wagener Jacksonian March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837 Easton
Democratic March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1841
John Westbrook Democratic March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 Dingmans Ferry Retired
Abraham R. McIlvaine Whig March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849 Downingtown Lost renomination
Jesse C. Dickey Whig March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851 New London Lost re-election
John A. Morrison Democratic March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853 Cochranville
Samuel A. Bridges Democratic March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 Allentown Lost re-election
Samuel C. Bradshaw Opposition March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857 Quakertown Lost re-election
Henry Chapman Democratic March 4, 1857 –March 3, 1859 Doylestown Retired
Henry C. Longnecker Republican March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861 Allentown
Thomas B. Cooper Democratic March 4, 1861 – April 4, 1862 Coopersburg Died
Vacant April 4, 1862 – June 3, 1862
John D. Stiles Democratic June 3, 1862 – March 3, 1863 Allentown Redistricted to the 6th district
John M. Broomall Republican March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1869 Media Retired
Washington Townsend Republican March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1875 West Chester Redistricted to the 6th district
Alan Wood, Jr. Republican March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877 Philadelphia Retired
Isaac N. Evans Republican March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879 Hatboro Retired
William Godshalk Republican March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883 Doylestown Retired
Isaac N. Evans Republican March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887 Hatboro Retired
Robert M. Yardley Republican March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891 Doylestown Retired
Edwin Hallowell Democratic March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893 Lost re-election
Irving P. Wanger Republican March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1903 Redistricted to the 8th district
Thomas S. Butler Republican March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1923 Uwchlan Township Redistricted from the 6th district;
Redistricted to the 8th district
George P. Darrow Republican March 4, 1923 – January 3, 1937 Philadelphia Redistricted from the 6th district;
Lost re-election
Ira W. Drew Democratic January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1939 Philadelphia Lost re-election
George P. Darrow Republican January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1941 Philadelphia Retired
Hugh Scott Republican January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1945 Philadelphia Lost re-election
James Wolfenden Republican January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947 Upper Darby Township Redistricted from the 8th district;
Retired
E. Wallace Chadwick Republican January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 Radnor Township Lost renomination
Benjamin F. James Republican January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1959 Radnor Township Retired
William H. Milliken, Jr. Republican January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1965 Sharon Hill Retired
G. Robert Watkins Republican January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967 West Chester Redistricted to the 9th district
Lawrence G. Williams Republican January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1975 Springfield, Delaware County Lost re-election
Robert W. Edgar Democratic January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1987 Springfield, Delaware County Did not seek re-election; ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate against Arlen Specter
Curt Weldon Republican January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2007 Marcus Hook Lost re-election
Joe Sestak Democratic January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011 Edgmont Township Unsuccessful Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2010
Pat Meehan Republican January 3, 2011 – present Drexel Hill Incumbent

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  2. ↑ Ingraham, Christopher. "This is the best explanation of gerrymandering you will ever see". Washington Post. Washington Post. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "The System Is Rigged". On the Media. October 21, 2016.
  4. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/05/15/americas-most-gerrymandered-congressional-districts/

Coordinates: 39°54′N 75°55′W / 39.900°N 75.917°W / 39.900; -75.917

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.