Alabama's 7th congressional district
Coordinates: 32°33′5.2″N 87°52′17.04″W / 32.551444°N 87.8714000°W
| Alabama's 7th congressional district | ||
|---|---|---|
| Current Representative | Terri Sewell (D–Birmingham) | |
| Area | 8,780 mi² | |
| Distribution | 72.2% urban, 27.8% rural | |
| Population (2000) | 635,300 | |
| Median income | $26,672 | |
| Ethnicity | 35.5% White, 61.7% Black, 0.6% Asian, 1.3% Hispanic, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% other | |
| Occupation | 28.6% blue collar, 53.4% white collar, 18% gray collar | |
| Cook PVI | D+20[1] | |
Alabama's 7th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Alabama, which elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. The district encompasses the counties of Greene, Choctaw, Sumter, Marengo, Dallas, Wilcox, Perry and Hale. It also includes parts of Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Clarke, and Pickens counties.
It is currently represented by Democrat Terri Sewell, who succeeded Artur Davis in 2010.
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Character [edit]
Alabama's 7th Congressional District was first created in 1843 and has existed since then with the exception of the years 1867-1873. The area this district has represented in the state has changed over time, depending upon the number of U.S. Representatives apportioned to Alabama. Around the turn of the 20th Century, the district included the city of Gadsden. Over time, this shifted to cover the area around Tuscaloosa.
The current shape of the district was largely formed in 1992. It includes some of the Black Belt counties as well as portions of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. The highly irregular shape is because this is a majority-minority district, formed under provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as amended in 1982 to include greater representation for minorities in Congress.[2]
This district contains heavily urban areas in both Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, including two of the state's largest colleges: the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Nine of the 12 counties in the 7th District are in Alabama's Black Belt, a rural expanse in Alabama and former home to the state's once-flourishing cotton plantations.
Due to the minority representation in this district, a majority of the voters identify with the Democratic Party. John Kerry won 65% of the vote in this district in 2004 and Barack Obama won 72.36% of the vote in 2008.
Voting [edit]
| Election results from statewide races | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Results |
| 2012 | President | Obama 72 - 27% |
| 2008 | President | Obama 72 - 27% |
| 2004 | President | Kerry 64 - 35% |
| 2000 | President | Gore 66 - 33% |
List of representatives [edit]
| Congress | Years | Representative | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created March 4, 1843 | |||||
| 28th-29th | March 4, 1843 - September 10, 1846 | Felix G. McConnell | Democratic | Died | |
| 29th-31st | December 7, 1846 - March 3, 1851 | Franklin W. Bowdon | |||
| 32nd | March 4, 1851 - March 3, 1853 | Alexander White | Whig | ||
| 33rd | March 4, 1853 - March 3, 1855 | James F. Dowdell | Democratic | Redistricted to the 3rd district | |
| 34th | March 4, 1855 - March 3, 1857 | Sampson W. Harris | Redistricted from the 3rd district | ||
| 35th-36th | March 4, 1857 - January 21, 1861 | Jabez L. M. Curry | Withdrew | ||
| 37th-39th | (1861–1863) | Civil War | |||
| District eliminated in 1863 | |||||
| District re-established in 1877 | |||||
| 44th-52nd | March 4, 1877 - March 4, 1893 | William H. Forney | Democratic | Redistricted from the At-large district | |
| 53rd | March 4, 1893 - March 3, 1895 | William H. Denson | |||
| 54th-55th | March 4, 1895 - March 3, 1899 | Milford W. Howard | Populist | ||
| 56th-66th | March 4, 1899 - May 13, 1919 | John L. Burnett | Democratic | Died | |
| 66th-67th | September 30, 1919 - March 3, 1923 | Lilius Bratton Rainey | |||
| 68th-72nd | March 4, 1923 - March 3, 1933 | Miles C. Allgood | Redistricted to the 5th district | ||
| 73rd-76th | March 4, 1933 - September 15, 1940 | William B. Bankhead | Redistricted from the 10th district, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1936–1940, Died | ||
| 76th | November 5, 1940 - January 3, 1941 | Zadoc L. Weatherford | |||
| 77th | January 3, 1941 - February 1, 1941 | Walter W. Bankhead | Resigned | ||
| 77th-80th | June 24, 1941 - January 3, 1949 | Carter Manasco | |||
| 81st-87th | January 3, 1949 - January 3, 1963 | Carl Elliott | Redistricted to the At-large district | ||
| 88th | January 3, 1963 - January 3, 1965 | District inactive, all representatives elected At-large on a general ticket | |||
| 89th | January 3, 1965 - January 3, 1967 | James D. Martin | Republican | ||
| 90th-92nd | January 3, 1967 - January 3, 1973 | Tom Bevill | Democratic | Redistricted to the 4th district | |
| 93rd-95th | January 3, 1973 - January 3, 1979 | Walter Flowers | Redistricted from the 5th district | ||
| 96th-99th | January 3, 1979 - January 3, 1987 | Richard C. Shelby | |||
| 100th-102nd | January 3, 1987 - January 3, 1993 | Claude Harris, Jr. | |||
| 103rd-107th | January 3, 1993 - January 3, 2003 | Earl F. Hilliard | |||
| 108th-111th | January 3, 2003–January 3, 2011 | Artur Davis | |||
| 112th-113th | January 3, 2011–Present | Terri Sewell | |||
References [edit]
- ^ "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008". The Cook Political Report. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ Pear, Robert (August 3, 1992). "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Congressional Districts; Redistricting Expected to Bring Surge in Minority Lawmakers". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
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