Illinois's 16th congressional district

Illinois's 16th congressional district
Illinois's 16th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative	Adam Kinzinger (R–Channahon)
Area	7,918 sq mi (20,510 km2)
Distribution	71.0% urban 29.1% rural
Population (2011 est.)	713,840
Median income	52,101
Ethnicity	91.2% White 4.2% Black 1.2% Asian 8.7% Hispanic 0.1% Native American 0.0% Hawaiian 1.8% other 1.4% Multi
Cook PVI	R+8

The 16th Congressional District of Illinois is represented by Republican Adam Kinzinger.

2011 redistricting

The congressional district covers parts of DeKalb, Ford, Stark, Will and Winnebago counties, and all of Boone, Bureau, Grundy, Iroquois, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, Ogle and Putnam counties, as of the 2011 redistricting which followed the 2010 census. All or parts of Belvidere, Channahon, DeKalb, Dixon, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Ottawa, Morris, Pontiac, Rockford and Streator are included. The representatives for these districts were elected in the 2012 primary and general elections, and the boundaries became effective on January 5, 2013.

History

Prominent past representatives from the 16th district have included Everett Dirksen, who went on to become the Republican leader in the United States Senate; John B. Anderson, who became the 3rd highest ranking Republican in the House and went on to run as a major independent candidate in the 1980 Presidential election; and Lynn Martin, who later served as United States Secretary of Labor.

For decades, the 16th district was the most geographically stable district in Illinois. For more than six decades, in comparison to the other districts in the state, it was almost stationary. While its shape fluctuated slightly after each census, in general it included the northwest corner of the state, extending just far enough to the east to include its largest city, Rockford. By the 1990s, it extended eastward to include part of McHenry County, an outer suburb of Chicago. This geographic stability also contributed to electoral stability. It first became a Rockford-based district for the 1948 election, and from then until 2010 it was represented by just five people, all but one of whom was a Republican.

However, with the new map drawn for 2012, the familiar shape of the 16th was rendered unrecognizable. It was pushed well to the east to take in the extreme exurban region of the Chicago metropolitan area, and stretches from the Wisconsin border to the Indiana border. While it still included most of Rockford's suburbs, half of Rockford itself—essentially the more Democratic portion of the city—was shifted to the 17th district.

Elections

2012 election

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2012

Voting

Election results from presidential races
Year	Office	Results
2012	President	Romney 53 - 45%
2008	President	Obama 50 - 48%
2004	President	Bush 55 - 44%
2000	President	Bush 54 - 43%

List of representatives

Representative	Party	Years	Notes
District created		March 4, 1873
James S. Martin	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875
William A. J. Sparks	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1883
Aaron Shaw	Democratic	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885
Silas Z. Landes	Democratic	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889
George W. Fithian	Democratic	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1895
Finis E. Downing	Democratic	March 4, 1895 – June 5, 1896	Lost contested election
John I. Rinaker	Republican	June 5, 1896 – March 3, 1897	Won contested election
William H. Hinrichsen	Democratic	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899
William E. Williams	Democratic	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901
Thomas J. Selby	Democratic	March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1903
Joseph V. Graff	Republican	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1911	Redistricted from the 14th district
Claude U. Stone	Democratic	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1917
Clifford C. Ireland	Republican	March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1923
William E. Hull	Republican	March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1933
Everett Dirksen	Republican	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1949
Leo E. Allen	Republican	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1961	Redistricted from the 13th district
John B. Anderson	Republican	January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1981
Lynn Morley Martin	Republican	January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1991
John W. Cox, Jr.	Democratic	January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1993
Donald A. Manzullo	Republican	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2013	Lost contested primary
Adam Kinzinger	Republican	January 3, 2013 –	Redistricted from the 11th district

Historical district boundaries

2003 - 2013

See also

• Illinois's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

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

• Washington Post page on the 16th District of Illinois
• U.S. Census Bureau - 16th District Fact Sheet