Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district

"Pa-4" redirects here. Pa-4 may also refer to Pennsylvania Route 4.

Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district
Current Representative		Jason Altmire (D–McCandless)
Distribution	78.55% urban, 21.45% rural
Population (2000)	646,609
Median income	$43,547
Ethnicity	94.7% White, 3.4% Black, 0.9% Asian, 0.6% Hispanic, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% other
Cook PVI	R+6

Pennsylvania's fourth district is located in western Pennsylvania and includes suburbs of Pittsburgh as well as Beaver County, Lawrence County, and Mercer County.

The district has a slight Democratic registration edge, although it has voted for Republicans in several federal elections over the past decade, including for President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, as well as Lynn Swann for governor in 2006.

The heart of the district is a string of mostly white and middle class suburbs. Plum and Murrysville, two large and mainly residential boroughs, are the main towns in the suburban portion of the district that lies to the east of the city. Also included are the many suburban areas that make up northern Allegheny County and southern Butler County, Pennsylvania, including the larger communities of McCandless and Franklin Park, as well as several exclusive suburbs that have long been home to Pittsburgh's old money elite, including Fox Chapel and Sewickley. The northern suburbs have a generally moderate voting populace, which trends Democratic but makes up the swing vote, especially in races for national office.

Further north, the district takes on a different character. The suburban areas of Beaver County are somewhat less affluent and are heavily labor Democratic. The areas of Lawrence County and Mercer County have a more rural feel, but also have a union Democrat center within the city of New Castle.

Democratic Congressman Jason Altmire has represented the district since January 4, 2007.

This district will change drastically when Pennsylvania's new districts go into effect on January 3, 2013. Due to slower population growth than the nation as a whole, Pennsylvania lost a seat in Congress in reapportionment following the 2010 United States Census, and this seat was effectively eliminated. Most of the current 4th district was merged into a redrawn 12th district, and the current 19th district was rebranded as the 4th. Thus, Pennsylvania's 4th district will be located in the south-central part of the state beginning in 2013.

List of representatives

The district was organized from Pennsylvania's At-large congressional district in 1791

1791–1793: One seat

Representative	Party	Years	Electoral history
Daniel Hiester	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793	Redistricted from the at-large district Redistricted to the at-large district

1795–1843: Two, then one, then three seats

District created in 1795 with two seats from Pennsylvania's At-large congressional district. The second seat was eliminated in 1813. The second seat was restored in 1823 along with a third seat.

Years	Congress		Seat A				Seat B				Seat C
			Representative	Party	Electoral history		Representative	Party	Electoral history		Representative	Party	Electoral history
March 4, 1795 – March 4, 1797	4		Samuel Sitgreaves	Federalist	Resigned		John Richards	Democratic- Republican	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]		No third seat until 1823
March 4, 1797 – ????, 1798	5						John Chapman	Federalist	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
???? 1798 – December 4, 1798			Vacant
December 4, 1798 – March 3, 1799			Robert Brown	Democratic- Republican	Redistricted to the 2nd district
March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1801	6						Peter Muhlenberg	Democratic- Republican	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803	7						Isaac Van Horne	Democratic- Republican	Redistricted to the 2nd district
March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1805	8		John A. Hanna	Democratic- Republican	Redistricted from the 6th district Died		David Bard	Democratic- Republican	Redistricted to the 9th district
March 4, 1805 – July 23, 1805	9
July 23, 1805 – November 7, 1805			Vacant
November 7, 1805 – March 3, 1807			Robert Whitehill	Democratic- Republican	Redistricted to the 5th district
March 4, 1807 March 3, 1809	10
March 4, 1809 March 3, 1811	11
March 4, 1811 March 3, 1813	12
March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815	13		Hugh Glasgow	Democratic- Republican	First elected in 1812		No second seat from 1813 to 1823
March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817	14				Re-elected in 1814 [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
March 4, 1817 – April 20, 1818	15		Jacob Spangler	Democratic- Republican	First elected in 1816 Resigned to become Surveyor-General of Pennsylvania
April 20, 1818 – November 16, 1818			Vacant
November 16, 1818 – March 3, 1819			Jacob Hostetter	Democratic- Republican	First elected in 1818 to finish Spangler's term
March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821	16				Elected in 1818 to the next term [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823	17		James S. Mitchell	Democratic- Republican	First elected in 1820 Redistricted to the 10th district
March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	18		James Buchanan	Jacksonian Federalist	Redistricted from the 3rd district		Samuel Edwards	Jacksonian Federalist	Redistricted from the 1st district		Isaac Wayne	Jacksonian Federalist	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1827	19			Jacksonian				Jacksonian			Charles Miner	Adams	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1829	20						Samuel Anderson	Adams	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831	21						George G. Leiper	Jacksonian	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]		Joshua Evans, Jr.	Jacksonian	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833	22		William M. Hiester	Anti- Masonic	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]		David Potts, Jr.	Anti- Masonic	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835	23										Edward Darlington	Anti- Masonic	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837	24
March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839	25		Edward Davies	Anti- Masonic	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841	26						Francis James	Anti- Masonic	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]		John Edwards	Anti- Masonic	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843	27		Jeremiah Brown	Whig	Redistricted to the 8th district			Whig				Whig

1843–present: One seat

Representative	Party	Years	Electoral history
Charles J. Ingersoll	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849	Redistricted from the 3rd district
John Robbins	Democratic	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853	Redistricted to the 3rd district
William H. Witte	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Jacob Broom	American	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857	Lost renomination
Henry M. Phillips	Democratic	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859	Lost re-election
William Millward	Republican	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
William D. Kelley	Republican	March 4, 1861 – January 9, 1890	Died
Vacant		January 9, 1890 – February 18, 1890
John E. Reyburn	Republican	February 18, 1890 – March 3, 1897	Lost renomination
James R. Young	Republican	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1903	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Robert H. Foerderer	Republican	March 4, 1903 – July 26, 1903	Redistricted from the at-large district Died
Vacant		July 26, 1903 – November 3, 1903
Reuben O. Moon	Republican	November 3, 1903 – March 3, 1913	Lost renomination
George W. Edmonds	Republican	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1925	Lost renomination
Benjamin M. Golder	Republican	March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1933	Lost re-election
George W. Edmonds	Republican	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935	Lost re-election
J. Burrwood Daly	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – March 12, 1939	Died
Vacant		March 12, 1939 – November 7, 1939
John E. Sheridan	Democratic	November 7, 1939 – January 3, 1947	Retired
Franklin J. Maloney	Republican	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949	Lost re-election
Earl Chudoff	Democratic	January 3, 1949 – January 5, 1958	Resigned to become judge of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Vacant		January 5, 1958 – May 20, 1958
Robert N.C. Nix, Sr.	Democratic	May 20, 1958 – January 3, 1963	Redistricted to the 2nd district
Herman Toll	Democratic	January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1967	Redistricted from the 6th district
Joshua Eilberg	Democratic	January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1979	Lost renomination
Charles F. Dougherty	Republican	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1983	Lost re-election District moved to Western Pennsylvania
Joseph P. Kolter	Democratic	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993	Lost renomination
Ron Klink	Democratic	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2001	Retired to run for U.S. Senate
Melissa Hart	Republican	January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007	Lost re-election
Jason Altmire	Democratic	January 3, 2007 – Present	Incumbent

Recent elections

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

US House election, 2006: Pennsylvania District 4
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jason Altmire	130,480	51.92
	Republican	Melissa Hart	120,822	48.08
Majority			9,658	3.84
Turnout			251,302	100

Historical

In the very early 19th Century this district included all or part of Bucks County.

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

• district map