Virginia's 7th congressional district

Virginia's 7th congressional district
Current Representative		Eric Cantor (R–Richmond)
Population (2000)	643,499
Median income	$50,990
Ethnicity	79.1% White, 16.2% Black, 2.3% Asian, 2.0% Hispanic, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% other
Cook PVI	R+9

Virginia's Seventh Congressional District is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The district is currently represented by Republican Congressman Eric Cantor, the current House majority leader, first elected in 2000.

Voting

Election results from presidential races
Year	Office	Results
2008	President	McCain 53 - 46%
2004	President	Bush 61 - 38%
2000	President	Bush 61 - 37%
1996	President	Dole 58 - 35%

Geography

The district stretches from the west end of Richmond and its suburbs in Henrico and portions of Chesterfield Counties, through Montpelier, Culpeper and northward to Page and Rappahannock Counties. Its current configuration dates from 1993, when Virginia was forced to create a majority-minority district by a Justice Department directive. At that time, most of Richmond, which had been entirely in the old 3rd District for over a century, was shifted to a newly created 3rd District. The remaining territory in the old 3rd was combined with some more rural areas to the north to form the new 7th District.

Prior to 1993, the 7th District stretched from the fringes of the Washington, D.C. suburbs to Charlottesville. It included the far northern portion of the Shenandoah Valley, as well as Manassas and Fredericksburg.

Demographics

The total population of the district is 643,499. Median Age for the district is 37.1 years. 79.1% of the district is white, 16.2% Black or African American, 2.3% Asian and 2.0% Hispanic or Latino. Owner-occupied housing is 72.8% and Renter-occupied housing is 27.2%. The median value of single-family owner-occupied homes is $128,800. 84.9% of the district population has at least a High School degree, 33.2% at least a Bachelor's degree or higher. 13.5% of the district are civilian veterans. 15.9% are of disability status (5 years or older). 4.8% are Foreign born and 6.8% speak a language other than English at home. 68.6% of the district is in the labor force, which consists of those 16 years and older. Mean travel time to work is 26.3 minutes. Median household income is $50,990. Per capita income is $25,861. 4.4% of the population account for families living below the poverty level, and 6.1% of individuals live below the poverty level.[1]

List of representatives

Representative	Lived	Party	Term	Note
District created: March 4, 1789
John Page	(1744–1808)	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1789 - March 3, 1793	Elected to VA-12
Abraham B. Venable	(1758–1811)	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1793 - March 3, 1795
		Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1795 - March 3, 1799	Declined to run
John Randolph	(1773–1833)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1799 - March 3, 1803	Elected to VA-15
Joseph Lewis, Jr.	(1772–1834)	Federalist	March 4, 1803 - March 3, 1813	Elected to VA-8
Hugh Caperton	(1781–1847)	Federalist	March 4, 1813 - March 3, 1815	Defeated
Ballard Smith		Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1815 - March 3, 1821	Defeated
William Smith		Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1821 - March 3, 1823	Elected to VA-21
Jabez Leftwich	(1765–1855)	Crawford D-R	March 4, 1823 - March 3, 1825	Defeated
Nathaniel H. Claiborne	(1777–1859)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 - March 3, 1835
		Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1835 - March 3, 1837	Defeated
Archibald Stuart	(1795–1855)	Democratic	March 4, 1837 - March 3, 1839	Defeated
William L. Goggin	(1807–1870)	Whig	March 4, 1839 - March 3, 1843	Defeated
Henry A. Wise	(1806–1876)	Democratic	March 4, 1843 - February 12, 1844	Resigned
Vacant			February 13, 1844 - May 5, 1844	Special election
Thomas H. Bayly	(1810–1856)	Democratic	May 6, 1844 - March 3, 1853	Elected to VA-1
William Smith	(1797–1887)	Democratic	March 4, 1853 - March 3, 1861	Resigned
Vacant			March 4, 1861 - May 22, 1862	Special election May 23, 1861
Charles H. Upton	(1812–1877)	Unionist	May 23, 1861 - February 27, 1862	Election invalidated
Vacant			February 28, 1862 - February 15, 1863	Special election
Lewis McKenzie	(1810–1895)	Unionist	February 16, 1863 - March 3, 1863	Declined to run
Vacant			March 4, 1863 - January 30, 1870	Civil War
Lewis McKenzie	(1810–1895)	Conservative	January 31, 1870 - March 3, 1871	Defeated
Elliott M. Braxton	(1823–1891)	Democratic	March 4, 1871 - March 3, 1873	Defeated
John T. Harris	(1823–1899)	Democratic	March 4, 1873 - March 3, 1881	Declined to run
John Paul	(1839–1901)	Readjuster	March 4, 1881 - September 5, 1883	Appointed U.S. District Court judge
Vacant			September 6, 1883 - May 4, 1884
Charles T. O'Ferrall	(1840–1905)	Democratic	May 5, 1884 - December 28, 1893	Elected Governor of Virginia
Vacant			December 29, 1893 - January 29, 1894	Special election
Smith S. Turner	(1842–1898)	Democratic	January 30, 1894 - March 3, 1897	Declined to run
James Hay	(1856–1931)	Democratic	March 4, 1897 - October 1, 1916	Appointed U.S. Claim Court judge
Vacant			October 2, 1916 - November 6, 1916
Thomas W. Harrison	(1856–1935)	Democratic	November 7, 1916 - December 15, 1922	Election invalidated
John Paul	(1883–1964)	Republican	December 15, 1922 - March 3, 1923	Defeated
Thomas W. Harrison	(1856–1935)	Democratic	March 4, 1923 - March 3, 1929	Defeated
Jacob A. Garber	(1879–1953)	Republican	March 4, 1929 - March 3, 1931	Defeated
John W. Fishburne	(1868–1937)	Democratic	March 4, 1931 - March 3, 1933	Declined to run
District eliminated March 4, 1933
District recreated: January 3, 1935
A. Willis Robertson	(1887–1971)	Democratic	January 3, 1935 - November 5, 1946	Elected to U.S. Senate
Burr P. Harrison	(1904–1973)	Democratic	November 5, 1946 - January 3, 1963	Declined to run
John O. Marsh, Jr.	(b. 1926)	Democratic	January 3, 1963 - January 3, 1971	Declined to run
J. Kenneth Robinson	(1916–1990)	Republican	January 3, 1971 - January 3, 1985	Declined to run
D. French Slaughter, Jr.	(1925–1998)	Republican	January 3, 1985 - November 5, 1991	Resigned
George F. Allen	(b. 1952)	Republican	November 5, 1991 - January 3, 1993	Elected Governor of Virginia
Thomas J. Bliley, Jr.	(b. 1932)	Republican	January 3, 1993 - January 3, 2001	Declined to run
Eric I. Cantor	(b. 1963)	Republican	January 3, 2001 - Present

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