North Carolina's 12th congressional district

"NC-12" redirects here. NC-12 may also refer to North Carolina Highway 12.

North Carolina's 12th congressional district
District map as of 2006
Current Representative		Mel Watt (D–Charlotte)
Area	827 mi²
Distribution	88.5% urban, 11.5% rural
Population (2000)	619,178
Median income	$35,775
Ethnicity	47.2% White, 44.6% Black, 2.1% Asian, 7.1% Hispanic, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% other
Occupation	32.1% blue collar, 51.9% white collar, 16.0% gray collar
Cook PVI	D+16

North Carolina's 12th congressional district is located in central North Carolina and comprises portions of Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Lexington, Salisbury, Concord, and High Point. It is an example of gerrymandering.

Before its current creation, North Carolina had a twelfth seat in the House in the nineteenth century and in the mid-twentieth century (1943-1963).

Current district

The district was re-established after the 1990 United States Census, when North Carolina gained a district. It was drawn in 1992 as a 64 percent black majority district stretching from Gastonia to Durham. It was very long and so thin at some points that it was no wider than a highway lane, as it followed Interstate 85 almost exactly, and was criticized as a gerrymandered district. The Wall Street Journal called the district "political pornography." The United States Supreme Court ruled in Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630 (1993) that a racial gerrymander may, in some circumstances, violate the Equal Protection Clause. Subsequently, the district was redrawn several times and was adjudicated in the Supreme Court on two further occasions. The version created after the 2000 census was approved in Hunt v. Cromartie. The current version based on the 2010 census has a small plurality of whites.

Its current representative is Democrat Melvin Watt, who has represented the district since 1993.

List of representatives

Name	Took Office	Left Office	Party	District Residence	Notes
District created March 4, 1803
Joseph Winston	March 4, 1803	March 3, 1807	Democratic-Republican
Meshack Franklin	March 4, 1807	March 3, 1813	Democratic-Republican		Redistricted to the 13th district
Israel Pickens	March 4, 1813	March 3, 1817	Democratic-Republican		Redistricted from the 11th district
Felix Walker	March 4, 1817	March 3, 1823	Democratic-Republican
Robert B. Vance	March 4, 1823	March 3, 1825	Jacksonian D-R
Samuel P. Carson	March 4, 1825	March 3, 1833	Jacksonian
James Graham	March 4, 1833	March 3, 1837	Anti-Jacksonian		Seat declared vacant March 29, 1836 - December 5, 1836
	March 4, 1837	March 4, 1843	Whig
District inactive March 3, 1843
District re-established January 3, 1943
Zebulon Weaver	January 3, 1943	January 3, 1947	Democratic		Redistricted from the 11th district
Monroe M. Redden	January 3, 1947	January 3, 1953	Democratic
George A. Shuford	January 3, 1953	January 3, 1959	Democratic
David M. Hall	January 3, 1959	January 29, 1960	Democratic		Died
Roy A. Taylor	June 25, 1960	January 3, 1963	Democratic		Redistricted to the 11th district
District inactive January 3, 1963
District re-established January 3, 1993
Mel Watt	January 3, 1993	Present	Democratic

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

• Mel Watt's official website