South Carolina's 2nd congressional district

South Carolina's 2nd congressional district
Current Representative		Joe Wilson (R–Springdale)
Population (2000)	668,668
Median income	$42,915
Ethnicity	69.5% White, 26.4% Black, 1.2% Asian, 3.3% Hispanic, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% other
Cook PVI	R+9

The 2nd Congressional District of South Carolina is a congressional district in central and eastern South Carolina. It includes all of Lexington, Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton, Allendale and Barnwell counties; most of Richland County and parts of Aiken, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties. It is based in the state capital, Columbia; other major cities in the district are Beaufort and Hilton Head Island.

The district has been based in Columbia since 1933, when South Carolina lost a district as a result of the 1930 Census; before then, much of its territory had been the 6th District. It assumed its current configuration after the 1990 Census, when most of its black residents were drawn into the 6th District.

It has been in Republican hands since 1965, when the district's second-term Democratic congressman, Albert Watson, switched parties. The district's best-known congressman, Floyd Spence, represented the district for over 30 years and was chairman of the House Armed Services Committee from 1995 to 2001, when he died a few months after being elected to a 16th term. He was succeeded in a special election by one of his former aides, state senator Joe Wilson, who continues to hold the seat.

Wilson's most recent opponent was Rob Miller.

List of representatives

Name	Tenure	Party	District Residence	Notes
Aedanus Burke	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791	Anti-Administration
Robert Barnwell	March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793	Pro-Administration
John Hunter	March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795	Anti-Administration
Wade Hampton	March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797	Democratic-Republican
John Rutledge, Jr.	March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1803	Federalist
William Butler	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1813	Democratic-Republican	Mount Willing	Redistricted from the 5th district
William Lowndes	March 4, 1813 – May 8, 1822	Democratic-Republican	Charleston	Redistricted from the 4th district Resigned
James Hamilton, Jr.	December 13, 1822 – March 3, 1823	Democratic-Republican	Charleston
	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	Jacksonian Democratic-Republican
	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829	Jackson
Robert W. Barnwell	March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831	Jackson	Beaufort
	March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833	Nullifier
William J. Grayson	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837	Nullifier	Beaufort
Robert Rhett	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843	Democratic		Redistricted to the 7th district
Richard F. Simpson	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849	Democratic	Pendleton
James L. Orr	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853	Democratic	Anderson	Redistricted to the 5th district
William Aiken, Jr.	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1857	Democratic	Charleston	Redistricted from the 6th district
William P. Miles	March 4, 1857 – December 24, 1860	Democratic	Charleston	Retired
Civil War - Occupation and Reconstruction
Christopher C. Bowen	July 20, 1868 – March 3, 1871	Republican	Charleston
Robert C. De Large	March 4, 1871 – January 24, 1873	Republican	Charleston	Seat declared vacant
Alonzo J. Ransier	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	Republican	Charleston
Edmund W.M. Mackey	March 4, 1875 – July 19, 1876	Independent Republican	Charleston	Seat declared vacant
Charles W. Buttz	November 7, 1876 – March 3, 1877	Republican	Charleston
Richard H. Cain	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879	Republican	Charleston
Michael P. O'Connor	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881	Democratic	Charleston	contested election at end of term
Samuel Dibble	June 9, 1881 – May 31, 1882	Democratic	Charleston	won contested election
Edmund W.M. Mackey	May 31, 1882 – March 3, 1883	Republican	Charleston	Redistricted to the 7th district
George D. Tillman	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1893	Democratic	Edgefield
W. Jasper Talbert	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1903	Democratic	Parksville
George W. Croft	March 4, 1903 – March 10, 1904	Democratic	Aiken	Died
Theodore G. Croft	May 17, 1904 – March 3, 1905	Democratic	Aiken
James O'H. Patterson	March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1911	Democratic	Barnwell
James F. Byrnes	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1925	Democratic	Aiken
Butler B. Hare	March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1933	Democratic	Saluda
Hampton Fulmer	March 4, 1933 – October 19, 1944	Democratic	Orangeburg	Redistricted from the 7th district, Died
Willa L. Fulmer	November 7, 1944 – January 3, 1945	Democratic	Orangeburg
John J. Riley	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1949	Democratic	Sumter
Hugo S. Sims, Jr.	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951	Democratic	Orangeburg
John J. Riley	January 3, 1951 – January 1, 1962	Democratic	Sumter	Died
Corinne Boyd Riley	April 10, 1962 – January 3, 1963	Democratic	Sumter
Albert Watson	January 3, 1963 – February 1, 1965	Democratic	Columbia	Resigned
	June 15, 1965 – January 3, 1971	Republican		Ran for own vacancy as a Republican and won
Floyd Spence	January 3, 1971 – August 16, 2001	Republican	West Columbia, then Lexington	Died
Joe Wilson	December 18, 2001 – Present	Republican	Springdale, then West Columbia	Incumbent
Name	Tenure	Party	District Residence	Notes

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
• Political Graveyard database of South Carolina congressmen