Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district
Boundaries beginning January 3, 2019
Cook PVI	D+7[1]

The 4th congressional district's boundaries from January 3, 2013 to January 2019

Pennsylvania's fourth district is located, through 2018, in the south-central part of the state, covering all of Adams and York counties, as well as parts of Cumberland and Dauphin counties, with representation by Republican Scott Perry. The newly designated district four, effective in early 2019, encompasses the majority of Montgomery County in southeastern Pennsylvania.

History

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania redrew this district in February 2018 after ruling the previous map unconstitutional. The fourth district was reconfigured as a Democratic-leaning area to the northwest of Philadelphia for the 2018 election and representation thereafter. Geographically, it is the successor to the 13th district, represented by Democrat Brendan Boyle. Boyle, however, opted to run in the neighbouring 2nd district, the geographic successor to the 1st district, represented by retiring incumbent Bob Brady. The bulk of Perry's representation, including York and Harrisburg, will become part of a redrawn tenth district. Gettysburg and Adams County will join a new, heavily Republican 13th District, which will be the successor to the old ninth district of retiring Congressman Bill Shuster. Areas to the south and east of York join Lancaster in a redrawn, heavily Republican eleventh district, the successor of Republican Lloyd Smucker's 16th district.^[2]

This district changed drastically when Pennsylvania's new districts went into effect on January 3, 2013. Due to slower population growth than the nation as a whole, Pennsylvania lost a seat in Congress in reapportionment following the 2010 United States Census, and this seat was effectively eliminated. Most of the 4th district was merged into a redrawn 12th district, and the previous 19th district was rebranded as the 4th. From 2003 to 2013 it included suburbs of Pittsburgh as well as Beaver County, Lawrence County, and Mercer County. The district had a slight Democratic registration edge, although it has voted for Republicans in several federal elections over the past decade, including for President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, as well as Lynn Swann for governor in 2006. The heart of the district was a string of mostly white and middle class suburbs. Plum and Murrysville, two large and mainly residential boroughs, are the main towns in the suburban portion of the district that lies to the east of the city. Also included were the many suburban areas that make up northern Allegheny County and southern Butler County, Pennsylvania, including the larger communities of McCandless and Franklin Park, as well as several exclusive suburbs that have long been home to Pittsburgh's old money elite, including Fox Chapel and Sewickley. The northern suburbs had a generally moderate voting populace, which trends Democratic but makes up the swing vote, especially in races for national office. Further north, the district took on a different character. The suburban areas of Beaver County are somewhat less affluent and were heavily labor Democratic. The areas of Lawrence County and Mercer County had a more rural feel, but also had a union Democrat center within the city of New Castle.

List of representatives

The district was organized from Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district in 1791

1791–1793: One seat

Representative	Party	Years	Electoral history
Daniel Hiester	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793	Redistricted from the at-large district. Redistricted to the at-large district.

1795–1843: Two, then one, then three seats

District created in 1795 with two seats from Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district. The second seat was eliminated in 1813. The second seat was restored in 1823 along with a third seat.

Cong ress	Years		Seat A				Seat B				Seat C
			Representative	Party	Electoral history		Representative	Party	Electoral history		Representative	Party	Electoral history
4	March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797		Samuel Sitgreaves	Federalist	Resigned.		John Richards	Democratic-Republican	Retired.		No third seat until 1823
5	March 4, 1797 – August 29, 1798						John Chapman	Federalist	Lost re-election.
	August 29, 1798 – December 4, 1798		Vacant
	December 4, 1798 – March 3, 1799		Robert Brown	Democratic-Republican	Elected October 9, 1798 to finish Sitgreaves's term. Also elected October 9, 1798 to the next term. Elected October 14, 1800. Redistricted to the 2nd district.
6	March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1801						Peter Muhlenberg	Democratic-Republican	Elected October 9, 1798. Elected October 14, 1800. Elected U.S. Senator therefore declined House seat in the 7th Congress.
7	March 4, 1801 – October 13, 1801						Vacant
	October 13, 1801 – March 3, 1803						Isaac Van Horne	Democratic-Republican	Elected to finish Muhlenberg's term. Redistricted to the 2nd district.
8	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1805		John A. Hanna	Democratic-Republican	Redistricted from the 6th district. Died.		David Bard	Democratic-Republican	Redistricted to the 9th district.
9	March 4, 1805 – July 23, 1805
	July 23, 1805 – November 7, 1805		Vacant
	November 7, 1805 – March 3, 1807		Robert Whitehill	Democratic-Republican	Redistricted to the 5th district.
10	March 4, 1807 March 3, 1809
11	March 4, 1809 March 3, 1811
12	March 4, 1811 March 3, 1813
13	March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815		Hugh Glasgow	Democratic-Republican	Elected in 1812.		No second seat from 1813 to 1823
14	March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817				Re-elected in 1814. [Data unknown/missing.]
15	March 4, 1817 – April 20, 1818		Jacob Spangler	Democratic-Republican	Elected in 1816. Resigned to become Surveyor-General of Pennsylvania.
	April 20, 1818 – November 16, 1818		Vacant
	November 16, 1818 – March 3, 1819		Jacob Hostetter	Democratic-Republican	Elected in 1818 to finish Spangler's term.
16	March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821				Elected in 1818 to the next term. [Data unknown/missing.]
17	March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823		James S. Mitchell	Democratic-Republican	Elected in 1820. Redistricted to the 10th district.
18	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825		James Buchanan	Jacksonian Federalist	Redistricted from the 3rd district.		Samuel Edwards	Jacksonian Federalist	Redistricted from the 1st district.		Isaac Wayne	Jacksonian Federalist	[Data unknown/missing.]
19	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1827			Jacksonian				Jacksonian			Charles Miner	Adams	[Data unknown/missing.]
20	March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1829						Samuel Anderson	Adams	Returned to Pennsylvania House
21	March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831						George G. Leiper	Jacksonian	[Data unknown/missing.]		Joshua Evans, Jr.	Jacksonian	[Data unknown/missing.]
22	March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833		William Hiester	Anti- Masonic	[Data unknown/missing.]		David Potts, Jr.	Anti- Masonic	[Data unknown/missing.]
23	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835										Edward Darlington	Anti- Masonic	[Data unknown/missing.]
24	March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837
25	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839		Edward Davies	Anti- Masonic	[Data unknown/missing.]
26	March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841						Francis James	Anti- Masonic	[Data unknown/missing.]		John Edwards	Anti- Masonic	[Data unknown/missing.]
27	March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843		Jeremiah Brown	Whig	Redistricted to the 8th district.			Whig				Whig

1843–present: One seat

Representative	Party	Years	Electoral history
Charles J. Ingersoll	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849	Redistricted from the 3rd district.
John Robbins	Democratic	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853	Redistricted to the 3rd district.
William H. Witte	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	[Data unknown/missing.]
Jacob Broom	American	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857	Lost renomination.
Henry M. Phillips	Democratic	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859	Lost re-election.
William Millward	Republican	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861	Lost renomination.
William D. Kelley	Republican	March 4, 1861 – January 9, 1890	Died.
Vacant		January 9, 1890 – February 18, 1890
John E. Reyburn	Republican	February 18, 1890 – March 3, 1897	Lost renomination.
James R. Young	Republican	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1903	[Data unknown/missing.]
Robert H. Foerderer	Republican	March 4, 1903 – July 26, 1903	Redistricted from the at-large district Died.
Vacant		July 26, 1903 – November 3, 1903
Reuben O. Moon	Republican	November 3, 1903 – March 3, 1913	Lost renomination.
George W. Edmonds	Republican	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1925	Lost renomination.
Benjamin M. Golder	Republican	March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1933	Lost re-election.
George W. Edmonds	Republican	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935	Lost re-election.
J. Burrwood Daly	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – March 12, 1939	Died.
Vacant		March 12, 1939 – November 7, 1939
John E. Sheridan	Democratic	November 7, 1939 – January 3, 1947	Retired
Franklin J. Maloney	Republican	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949	Lost re-election.
Earl Chudoff	Democratic	January 3, 1949 – January 5, 1958	Resigned to become judge of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
Vacant		January 5, 1958 – May 20, 1958
Robert N. C. Nix, Sr.	Democratic	May 20, 1958 – January 3, 1963	Redistricted to the 2nd district.
Herman Toll	Democratic	January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1967	Redistricted from the 6th district.
Joshua Eilberg	Democratic	January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1979	Lost renomination.
Charles F. Dougherty	Republican	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1983	Lost re-election. Redistricted to the 3rd district.
Joseph P. Kolter	Democratic	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993	Lost renomination.
Ron Klink	Democratic	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2001	Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
Melissa Hart	Republican	January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007	Lost re-election.
Jason Altmire	Democratic	January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013	Elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Redistricted to the 12th district and lost renomination there
Scott Perry	Republican	January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019	Elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Redistricted to the 10th district.
To be determined		From January 3, 2019	To be determined in the 2018 election.

Recent elections

Historical district boundaries

In the very early 19th Century this district included all or part of Bucks County.

2005–2013

See also

• List of United States congressional districts
• Pennsylvania's 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

• District map
• Congressional redistricting in Pennsylvania

Coordinates: 39°59′N 76°56′W / 39.983°N 76.933°W / 39.983; -76.933