Alabama's 8th congressional district

Alabama's 8th congressional district
Alabama's 8th congressional district
Obsolete district
Population (1960)	383,625
Created	1870
Eliminated	1970
Years active	1873-1973

34°52′53.13″N 87°13′3.76″W / 34.8814250°N 87.2177111°W / 34.8814250; -87.2177111

Alabama's 8th congressional district, now obsolete, was established in 1877.

Alabama presently has seven congressional districts represented in the United States House of Representatives.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Alabama was apportioned eight congressional seats as a result of the 1880 census. In 1893-1913 there were nine seats, and in 1913-1933 there were ten seats, the maximum ever for Alabama. In 1970, Alabama lost its eighth seat when population could no longer support more than seven seats.

The district was elected at-large from the entire state until the 45th Congress, when it was established as a separate district in the northwestern part of the state.^[1] The district occupies an area now held by Alabama's 5th congressional district, with the exception of a portion of Morgan County, which is part of the 4th district. Franklin County, which was part of the 8th district until after the 1890 Census, is also part of the modern 4th district.

Notable representation

A diagrammatic history of the Alabama House Delegation

Among the men who represented the District in the House was former Confederate Brigadier General Joseph Wheeler of Courtland, Alabama. Born in 1836 in Georgia, Wheeler had previously served in the United States Army but resigned to support the Confederate States of America. Wheeler led the 19th Alabama Infantry Regiment into battle at the Battle of Shiloh in the American Civil War. Wheeler was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1880 as a Democrat but was ousted after a lengthy election contest by Greenback Party candidate William M. Lowe. Lowe died after only four months in office and was succeeded by Wheeler in a special election. Wheeler did not run in 1882 but was reelected in 1884 and served seven consecutive terms before resigning in 1900.

John Sparkman served as the 8th district representative from 1937-1946. On the same day he was elected in 1946, Sparkman was also elected, in a special election, to fill the United States Senate seat of John H. Bankhead II who had died in office. Sparkman immediately resigned the House to accept the Senate seat. In 1952 Sparkman was chosen as the vice presidential running mate of the unsuccessful Democratic candidate Adlai Ewing Stevenson II. Sparkman previously had served as Majority Whip of the United States House of Representatives in 1946.

The District was lost due to reapportionment at the end of the 92nd United States Congress in 1973. Robert E. Jones, Jr. was the district's last representative.

List of representatives

Cong ress	Years	Representative	Party	Electoral history	Population / Counties
45	William W. Garth	Democratic	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879	Elected in 1876. Lost re-election.	Population 130,173 Colbert, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
46	William M. Lowe	Greenback	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881	Elected in 1878. Lost re-election.
47	Joseph Wheeler	Democratic	March 4, 1881 – June 3, 1882	Elected in 1880. Lost election contest.
	William M. Lowe	Greenback	June 3, 1882 – October 12, 1882	Won election contest. Died.
	Vacant		October 12, 1882 – January 15, 1883
	Joseph Wheeler	Democratic	January 15, 1883 – March 3, 1883	Elected to finish Lowe's term. Retired.
48	Luke Pryor	Democratic	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885	Elected in 1882. Retired.	Population 168,502 Colbert, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
49 50 51 52	Joseph Wheeler	Democratic	March 4, 1885 – April 20, 1900	Elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890.
53 54 55 56 57	Joseph Wheeler	Democratic	March 4, 1885 – April 20, 1900	Re-elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Resigned.	Population 176,088 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
57	Vacant	April 20, 1900 – August 6, 1900
57	William N. Richardson	Democratic	August 6, 1900 – March 31, 1914	Elected to finish Wheeler's term.
58 59 60 61 62				Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910.	Population 194,491 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
63				Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Died.	Population 218,342 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
63	Vacant		March 31, 1914 – May 11, 1914
63	Christopher C. Harris	Democratic	May 11, 1914 – March 3, 1915	Elected to finish Richardson's term. Retired.
64 65 66 67 68	Edward B. Almon	Democratic	March 4, 1915 – June 22, 1933	Elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920.
69 70 71 72 73				Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930.	Population 254,529 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
73				Re-elected in 1932. Died.	Population 282,241 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
73	Vacant		June 22, 1933 – November 14, 1933
73 74	Archibald H. Carmichael	Democratic	November 14, 1933 – January 3, 1937	Elected to finish Almon's term. Re-elected in 1934. Retired.
75 76 77	John Sparkman	Democratic	January 3, 1937 – November 5, 1946	Elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940.
78 79	John Sparkman	Democratic	January 3, 1937 – November 5, 1946	Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946, but resigned when elected U.S. Senator.	Population 300,112 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
79	Vacant		November 5, 1946 – January 28, 1947
79 80 81 82	Robert E. Jones, Jr.	Democratic	January 28, 1947 – January 3, 1963	Elected to finish Sparkman's term. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950.
83 84 85 86 87	Robert E. Jones, Jr.	Democratic	January 28, 1947 – January 3, 1963	Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Redistricted to the At-large district.	Population 321,459 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
88	District inactive, all representatives elected at large		January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965
89 90 91 92	Robert E. Jones, Jr.	Democratic	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1973	Elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Redistricted from the At-large district. Redistricted to the 5th district.	Population 383,625 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
District inactive			January 3, 1973 – Present

References

^ Official Congressional Directory. 45th Congress, 2nd session. 3rd edition. Page 5 (1878)

Population data from U.S. Census Bureau: Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990
1880 and 1870 Census data from U.S. Census Bureau: Compendium of the Tenth Census, Volume 1. (1883)
Additional population data and counties from the Official Congressional Directories of the 45th Congress (1878); 48th Congress (1883); 53rd Congress (1893); 58th Congress (1903); 81st Congress (1950); 83rd Congress (1953); and 89th Congress (1965).
Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

[1] Official Congressional Directory. 45th Congress, 2nd session. 3rd edition. Page 5 (1878)

[1]