Wisconsin's 5th congressional district

Wisconsin's 5th congressional district
District map as of 2002
Current Representative		Jim Sensenbrenner (R–Menomonee Falls)
Area	1,273.23 mi²
Distribution	84.79% urban, 15.21% rural
Population (2000)	670,458
Median income	$58,594
Ethnicity	95.3% White, 1.3% Black, 1.5% Asian, 2.2% Hispanic, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% other
Occupation	20.2% blue collar, 66.8% white collar, 13.0% gray collar
Cook PVI	R+13

Wisconsin's 5th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin, covering all of Ozaukee and Washington counties, almost all of Waukesha County and portions of Milwaukee and Jefferson counties. The district includes the northern Milwaukee suburbs as well as the more affluent western suburbs. It is currently represented by Republican Jim Sensenbrenner.

This is the wealthiest and most Republican district in Wisconsin. George W. Bush carried the district in 2004 with 63% of the vote. The 5th District was the only district in Wisconsin that John McCain won in 2008, giving 57.73% of the vote to McCain and 41.28% to Barack Obama.

Prior to the 2000 census (when Wisconsin lost a seat in Congress), the 5th District was a Milwaukee district, with vastly different boundaries and political history, represented often by Democrats or even Socialists. The district now numbered the 5th was primarily encompassed in Wisconsin's 9th congressional district until the abolition of the latter.

List of representatives

Representative	Party	Years	District home	Note
District created		March 4, 1863
Ezra Wheeler	Democratic	March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865	Berlin
Philetus Sawyer	Republican	March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1873	Oshkosh	Redistricted to 6th district
Charles Augustus Eldredge	Democratic	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	Fond du Lac	Redistricted from 4th district
Samuel D. Burchard	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877
Edward S. Bragg	Democratic	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1883	Fond du Lac	Retired
Joseph Rankin	Democratic	March 4, 1883-03-04 – January 24, 1886	Manitowoc	Died
Vacant		January 24, 1886 – March 8, 1886
Thomas R. Hudd	Democratic	March 8, 1886 – March 3, 1889	Green Bay
George H. Brickner	Democratic	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1895	Sheboygan Falls
Samuel S. Barney	Republican	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1903	West Bend	Retired
William H. Stafford	Republican	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1911	Milwaukee	Lost renomination
Victor L. Berger	Socialist	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1913		Lost re-election to Stafford
William H. Stafford	Republican	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1919	Milwaukee	Lost re-election to Berger
Vacant		March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1921		Congress refused to seat Rep.-elect Victor Berger
William H. Stafford	Republican	March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1923	Milwaukee	Lost re-election to Berger
Victor L. Berger	Socialist	March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1929		Lost re-election to Stafford
William H. Stafford	Republican	March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1933	Milwaukee	Lost renomination
Thomas O'Malley	Democratic	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1939		Lost re-election
Lewis D. Thill	Republican	January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1943		Lost re-election
Howard J. McMurray	Democratic	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945		Retired to run for U.S. Senate
Andrew Biemiller	Democratic	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947		Lost re-election to Kersten
Charles J. Kersten	Republican	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949		Lost re-election to Biemiller
Andrew Biemiller	Democratic	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951		Lost re-election to Kersten
Charles J. Kersten	Republican	January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1955		Lost re-election to Reuss
Henry S. Reuss	Democratic	January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1983	Milwaukee	Retired
Jim Moody	Democratic	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993		Retired to run for U.S. Senate
Tom Barrett	Democratic	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003	Milwaukee	Retired to run for Governor
Jim Sensenbrenner	Republican	January 3, 2003 – Present		Redistricted from the 9th district, Incumbent

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