Illinois's 16th congressional district

Illinois's 16th congressional district
The 16th congressional district of Illinois
Current Representative		Donald A. Manzullo (R–Egan)
Distribution	78.29% urban, 21.71% rural
Population (2000)	653,647
Median income	$48,960
Ethnicity	88.9% White, 5.4% Black, 1.3% Asian, 6.5% Hispanic, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% other
Cook PVI	R+2

The 16th Congressional District of Illinois covers a part of northern Illinois, including the cities of Rockford, Crystal Lake, Machesney Park, Belvidere, Freeport and Galena, and all or parts of Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Carroll, Ogle, DeKalb, and Whiteside counties. Republican Donald A. Manzullo has represented the district since January 1993.

2011 redistricting

The district covers parts of DeKalb, Ford, Stark, Will and Winnebago counties, and all of Boone, Bureau, Grundy, Iroquois, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, Ogle and Putnam counties, as of the 2011 redistricting which followed the 2010 census. All or parts of Belvidere, Channahon, DeKalb, Dixon, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Ottawa, Morris, Pontiac, Rockford and Streator are included. The representatives for these districts will be elected in the 2012 primary and general elections, and the boundaries will become effective on January 5, 2013.

History

Prominent past representatives from the 16th district have included Everett Dirksen, who went on to become the Republican leader in the United States Senate; John B. Anderson, who became the 3rd highest ranking Republican in the House and went on to run as a major independent candidate in the 1980 Presidential election; and Lynn Martin, who later served as US Secretary of Labor.

For decades, the 16th district has been the most geographically stable district in Illinois. While its exact shape has fluctuated slightly with each reapportionment, for the past 50 years, in comparison to the other districts in the state, it has been almost stationary—always forming the northwest corner of the state, and extending far enough east to include its largest city, Rockford. This geographic stability has also contributed to electoral stability; the district elected a Republican in 49 out of 55 elections from 1900-2010. However, with the new map drawn for 2012, the familiar shape of the 16th is being rendered unrecognizable. Rockford itself will be split between the 16th and 17th districts, and the 16 will no longer include northwest Illinois, but will stretch from the Wisconsin border to the Indiana border, like a quilt wrapped around the collar counties and Chicagoland.

Elections

2012 election

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2012

Voting

Election results from presidential races
Year	Office	Results
2008	President	Obama 53 - 45%
2004	President	Bush 55 - 44%
2000	President	Bush 54 - 43%

List of representatives

Representative	Party	Years	District home	Notes
District created March 4, 1873
James S. Martin	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875
William A. J. Sparks	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1883
Aaron Shaw	Democratic	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885
Silas Z. Landes	Democratic	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889
George W. Fithian	Democratic	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1895
Finis E. Downing	Democratic	March 4, 1895 – June 5, 1896		Lost contested election
John I. Rinaker	Republican	June 5, 1896 – March 3, 1897		Won contested election
William H. Hinrichsen	Democratic	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899
William E. Williams	Democratic	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901
Thomas J. Selby	Democratic	March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1903
Joseph V. Graff	Republican	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1911		Redistricted from the 14th district
Claude U. Stone	Democratic	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1917
Clifford C. Ireland	Republican	March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1923
William E. Hull	Republican	March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1933
Everett Dirksen	Republican	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1949
Leo E. Allen	Republican	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1961		Redistricted from the 13th district
John B. Anderson	Republican	January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1981
Lynn Morley Martin	Republican	January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1991
John W. Cox, Jr.	Democratic	January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1993
Donald A. Manzullo	Republican	January 3, 1993 – Present		Incumbent

See also

United States House of Representatives elections, 2008

References

• 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

External links

• Washington Post page on the 16th District of Illinois
• U.S. Census Bureau - 16th District Fact Sheet