Massachusetts's 8th congressional district

Massachusetts's 8th congressional district
Current Representative		Stephen Lynch (D–Boston)
Cook PVI	D+9

Massachusetts's 8th congressional district is in eastern Massachusetts, including part of Boston. It is currently represented by Stephen Lynch. For one congressional term (1791-1793) it served as the home district of the District of Maine. The district boundaries are significantly changed as of the elections of 2012 due to redistricting after the 2010 census, with the old 8th district largely being shifted to the new 7th district. The new 8th district comprises many of the communities of the old 9th district, as well as some easternmost Norfolk County communities and northernmost Plymouth County communities of the old 10th district.

Cities and towns currently in the District

In Bristol County:

Precincts 1 and 2 in Raynham.

In Norfolk County:

Avon, Braintree, Canton, Cohasset, Dedham, Holbrook, Milton:Precincts 2-4, and 6-9, Norwood, Quincy, Stoughton, Walpole, Westwood and Weymouth.

In Plymouth County:

Abington, Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Hingham, Hull, Scituate, West Bridgewater, and Whitman.

In Suffolk County:

Boston, Ward 3: Precincts 1-6; Ward 5: Precincts 3-5, 11; Ward 6, Ward 7: Precincts 1-9, Ward 11: Precincts 9 and 10, Ward 13: Precincts 3, 7 and 10, Ward 16: Precincts 2, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 12, Ward 19: Precincts 1-6, 8 and 8, and Ward 20: Precincts 1, 2, and 4-20.

Cities and towns in the district from 2003 to 2013

The district from 2003 to 2013

In Middlesex County:

Cambridge, and Somerville.

In Suffolk County:

Boston, Wards 1, 2, Ward 3, Precincts 1-4, 7, 8, Ward 4, Ward 5, Precincts 1, 2, 6-10, Ward 7, Precinct 10, Wards 8-12, Ward 13, Precincts 1, 2, 4-6, Ward 14, Ward 15, Precincts 1-5, 7-9, Ward 16, Precincts 1, 3, Ward 17, Precincts 1-3, 5-12; Ward 18, Precincts 1-8, 13-15, 21, Ward 19, Precincts 1, 3-6, 8, 9, Wards 21 and 22, (the remainder of Boston is in the 9th district), and Chelsea.

List of representatives

Representative	Party	Years	District home	Note
Jonathan Grout	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1789 – March 4, 1791
George Thatcher	Pro-Administration	March 4, 1791 – March 4, 1793	Biddeford, Maine	Redistricted from the 6th district Redistricted to the 4th district
District eliminated		1793
District restored		1795
Fisher Ames	Federalist	March 4, 1795 – March 4, 1797	Dedham	Redistricted from the 1st district
Harrison Gray Otis	Federalist	March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801	Boston
William Eustis	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1803		Redistricted to the 1st district
Lemuel Williams	Federalist	March 4, 1803 – March 4, 1805	New Bedford	Redistricted from the 5th district
Isaiah L. Green	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1805 – March 4, 1809
Gideon Gardner	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1811
Isaiah L. Green	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1811 – March 4, 1813
John Reed, Jr.	Federalist	March 4, 1813 – March 4, 1815	West Bridgewater	Redistricted to the 9th district
William Baylies	Federalist	March 4, 1815 – March 4, 1817		Redistricted from the 7th district
Zabdiel Sampson	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – July 26, 1820		Resigned on appointment as collector of customs in Plymouth
Vacant		July 26, 1820 – November 24, 1820
Aaron Hobart	Democratic-Republican	November 24, 1820 – March 4, 1823		Redistricted to the 11th district
Samuel Lathrop	Adams-Clay Federalist	March 4, 1823 – March 4, 1825		Redistricted from the 5th district
	Adams	March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1827
Isaac C. Bates	Adams	March 4, 1827 – March 4, 1829	Northampton
	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1829 – March 4, 1835
William B. Calhoun	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1835 – March 4, 1837
	Whig	March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1843
John Quincy Adams	Whig	March 4, 1843 – February 23, 1848		Redistricted from the 12th district Died
Vacant		February 24, 1848 – April 2, 1848
Horace Mann	Whig	April 3, 1848 – March 4, 1853
Tappan Wentworth	Whig	March 4, 1853 – March 4, 1855
Chauncey L. Knapp	Know-nothing	March 4, 1855 – March 4, 1857
	Republican	March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1859
Charles R. Train	Republican	March 4, 1859 – March 4, 1863
John D. Baldwin	Republican	March 4, 1863 – March 4, 1869
George F. Hoar	Republican	March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1873		Redistricted to the 9th district
John M. S. Williams	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 4, 1875
William W. Warren	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 4, 1877		Lost reelection
William Claflin	Republican	March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881	Newton	Retired
John W. Candler	Republican	March 4, 1881 – March 4, 1883
William A. Russell	Republican	March 4, 1883 – March 4, 1885		Redistricted from the 7th district
Charles H. Allen	Republican	March 4, 1885 – March 4, 1889	Lowell	Retired
Frederic T. Greenhalge	Republican	March 4, 1889 – March 4, 1891
Moses T. Stevens	Democratic	March 4, 1891 – March 4, 1893		Redistricted to the 5th district
Samuel W. McCall	Republican	March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1913	Winchester
Frederick Simpson Deitrick	Democratic	March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1915	Cambridge
Frederick W. Dallinger	Republican	March 4, 1915 – March 4, 1925	Cambridge
Harry I. Thayer	Republican	March 4, 1925 – March 10, 1926	Wakefield	Died
Vacant		March 10, 1926 – November 2, 1926
Frederick W. Dallinger	Republican	November 2, 1926 – October 1, 1932	Cambridge	Resigned after appointment as judge of United States Customs Court
Vacant		October 1, 1932 – March 4, 1933
Arthur D. Healey	Democratic	March 4, 1933 – August 3, 1942	Somerville	Resigned after appointment as judge of US District Court for Massachusetts
Vacant		August 3, 1942 – January 3, 1943
Angier L. Goodwin	Republican	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1955	Melrose	Lost reelection
Torbert H. Macdonald	Democratic	January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1963	Malden	Redistricted to 7th district
Tip O'Neill	Democratic	January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1987	Cambridge	Redistricted from the 11th district, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977-1987 Retired
Joseph P. Kennedy II	Democratic	January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1999	Brighton	Retired
Michael Capuano	Democratic	January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2013	Somerville	Redistricted to the 7th district
Stephen Lynch	Democratic	January 3, 2013 –	South Boston	Redistricted from the 9th district, Incumbent

Recent election results

2006 general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mike Capuano	125,167	91
	Socialist Workers	Laura Garza	12,390	9
Majority			112,777	82
Turnout			137,557
	Democratic hold		Swing

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

Maps

• Map of Massachusetts's 8th Congressional District, via Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

Election results

• CNN.com 2004 election results
• CNN.com 2006 election results