Louisiana's 4th congressional district

Louisiana's 4th congressional district
Louisiana's 4th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative	Mike Johnson (R–Benton)
Distribution	58.65[1]% urban 41.35% rural
Population (2016)	753,181[2]
Median income	$39,748
Ethnicity	60.26% White 34.92% Black 0.96% Asian 3.75% Hispanic 0.63% Native American
Cook PVI	R+13[3]

Louisiana's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district is located in the northwestern part of the state and is based in Shreveport-Bossier City. It also includes the cities of Minden, DeRidder, and Natchitoches.

The district is represented by Republican Mike Johnson.

History

The 4th Congressional District was created in 1843, the first new district in the state in 20 years. It was gained after the 1840 U.S. Census.

For most of the next 150 years, the 4th was centered on Shreveport and northwestern Louisiana. However, in 1993, Louisiana lost a congressional district, based on population figures. The state legislature shifted most of Shreveport's white residents into the 5th Congressional District. Republican Jim McCrery ran for election in the new 5th and won, defeating Democrat Jerry Huckaby, who represented the old 5th for eight terms.

Meanwhile, the 4th was reconfigured as a 63-percent African American-majority district, stretching in a roughly "Z" shape from Shreveport to Baton Rouge. Democrat Cleo Fields was elected for two terms as the representative of the 4th Congressional District. When the Supreme Court of the United States invalidated the boundaries of the new 4th Congressional District as unconstitutional, the Louisiana legislature redrew the District to encompass most of Northwest Louisiana, closely resembling its pre-1993 configuration. It is white majority. McCrery was elected in 1996 to this seat.

List of representatives

Name	Years	Party	District residence	Notes
District created March 4, 1843
Pierre Bossier	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – April 24, 1844	Natchitoches	Died.
Vacant		April 24, 1844 – December 2, 1844
Isaac Edward Morse	Democratic	December 2, 1844 – March 3, 1851	St. Martinville	[Data unknown/missing.]
John Moore	Whig	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	Franklin	[Data unknown/missing.]
Roland Jones	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	Shreveport	[Data unknown/missing.]
John M. Sandidge	Democratic	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1859	Bossier City	[Data unknown/missing.]
John M. Landrum	Democratic	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861	Shreveport	Retired.
Civil War and Reconstruction
Michel Vidal	Republican	July 18, 1868 – March 3, 1869	Opelousas	Resigned to become U.S. consul to Tripoli, Libya.
Vacant		March 4, 1869 – May 23, 1870
Joseph P. Newsham	Republican	May 23, 1870 – March 3, 1871	St. Francisville	Successfully contested election of Michael Ryan Retired.
James McCleery	Republican	March 4, 1871 – November 5, 1871	Shreveport	Died.
Vacant		November 5, 1871 – December 3, 1872
Alexander Boarman	Liberal Republican	December 3, 1872 – March 3, 1873	Shreveport	Retired.
Vacant		March 4, 1873 – November 24, 1873		Representative-elect Samuel Peters died before the term began.
George Luke Smith	Republican	November 24, 1873 – March 3, 1875	Shreveport	Elected to finish Peters's term.
William Mallory Levy	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877	Natchitoches	Lost renomination..
Joseph Barton Elam	Democratic	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1881	Mansfield	Retired due to injuries.
Newton C. Blanchard	Democratic	March 4, 1881 – March 12, 1894	Shreveport	Resigned when appointed to the United States Senate.
Vacant		March 12, 1894 – May 12, 1894
Henry Warren Ogden	Democratic	May 12, 1894 – March 3, 1899	Benton	Retired to return to farming.
Phanor Breazeale	Democratic	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1905	Natchitoches	Lost renomination.
John T. Watkins	Democratic	March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1921	Minden	Lost renomination.
John N. Sandlin	Democratic	March 4, 1921 – January 3, 1937	Minden	Retired to run for U.S. Senate.
Overton Brooks	Democratic	January 3, 1937 – September 16, 1961	Shreveport	Died.
Vacant		September 16, 1961 – December 19, 1961
Joe Waggonner, Jr.	Democratic	December 19, 1961 – January 3, 1979	Plain Dealing	Retired.
Buddy Leach	Democratic	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1981	Leesville	Lost re-election.
Buddy Roemer	Democratic[4]	January 3, 1981 – March 14, 1988	Bossier City	Resigned to become Governor of Louisiana.
Vacant		March 14, 1988 – April 16, 1988
Jim McCrery	Republican	April 16, 1988 – January 3, 1993	Shreveport	First elected to finish Roemer's term. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Redistricted to 5th district.
Cleo Fields	Democratic	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1997	Baton Rouge	First elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Retired when gerrymandered district was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court
Jim McCrery	Republican	January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2009	Shreveport	Redistricted from the 5th district and elected here in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Retired.
John C. Fleming	Republican	January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2017	Minden	First elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Retired to run for U.S. Senate.
Mike Johnson	Republican	January 3, 2017 – present	Benton	Elected in 2016.

Recent election results

Historical district boundaries

2003 - 2013

See also

• Louisiana'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

Coordinates: 31°47′31″N 93°10′47″W / 31.79194°N 93.17972°W / 31.79194; -93.17972