West Virginia's 1st congressional district

West Virginia's 1st congressional district
West Virginia's 1st congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative David McKinley (R–Wheeling)
Population (2010) 615,991
Median income 30,303
Ethnicity
Cook PVI R+19[1]

West Virginia's 1st congressional district is located in the northern part of the state. It is the most regularly drawn of the state's three districts.

It includes the industrial Rust Belt area of the state's northern panhandle which includes the district's third largest city, Wheeling, as well as Fairmont, Clarksburg, and the college town of Morgantown, the home of the main campus of West Virginia University. The largest city in the district is Parkersburg; the second largest is Morgantown. It also includes many rural farm and timber producing areas. The district has almost no population change reported in the 2010 Census change relative to the other 2 districts, as growth around Morgantown and Parkersburg offset population loss elsewhere, and the district was carried over unchanged for the next ten-year cycle.

The district is currently represented by David McKinley, a Republican who has represented the district since 2011.

West Virginia has tended to give its congressmen very long tenures in Washington, and the 1st District is no exception. Only four men have represented the district since 1953: Bob Mollohan (D) (1953–1957), former Governor Arch Moore, Jr. (R) (1957–1969), Bob Mollohan again (1969–1983), Alan Mollohan (1983–2011) and McKinley.

Despite the lack of turnover in the congressional seat, historically the 1st was not safe for either party. The cities are ancestrally Democratic strongholds, while the rural areas are much more conservative and have a tendency to swing Republican more often. As late as 2014, state legislators were roughly split between both parties.

Historically, the district has been very Democratic, mirroring the state as a whole. However, West Virginia Democrats tend to be somewhat more socially conservative than their counterparts in the rest of the nation, and the district has been swept up in the growing Republican trend in the state at the national level. No Democrat since Bill Clinton (who did so by a plurality in a three-way race) has carried the 1st District in presidential elections. George W. Bush carried the district both times in 2000 with 54% of the vote and 2004 with 58% of the vote. John McCain carried the district in 2008 with 56.77% of the vote while Barack Obama received 41.51%.

History

The First District has always been anchored in Wheeling, and as such has always included Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, and Wetzel counties[2]–the five counties usually reckoned as the Northern Panhandle. The original 1863 districting included also Tyler, Pleasants, Doddridge, Harrison, Ritchie, Wood, Wirt, Gilmer, Calhoun and Lewis counties.[2] It was essentially the successor of Virginia's 11th congressional district.

In 1882, the counties of Tyler, Doddridge, Harrison, Gilmer, Lewis and Braxton were added to the core counties.[2] In 1902, the core counties were joined by Marion, Harrison, and Lewis counties.[2] In the 1916 redistricting it included only the five core counties and Marion and Taylor.[2] The district was unchanged in the 1934 and 1954 redistrictings.[2] In 1962, Braxton, Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Marion and Taylor joined the five core counties.[2] The 1972 redistricting added Tyler, Pleasants, and Woods and deleted Taylor.[2] The 1982 redistricting added Taylor back to the district.[2]

1992 began the district as currently constituted, consisting of Barbour, Brooke, Doddridge, Grant, Hancock, Harrison, Marion, Marshall, Mineral, Monongalia, Ohio, Pleasants, Preston, Ritchie, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Wetzel and Wood counties.[2] In 2002 Gilmer was added.[2] For the election cycle that begins in 2012 the district was unchanged.[2]

List of representatives

Representative Party Years Electoral history
District created December 17, 1863
Jacob B. Blair Unconditional Unionist December 17, 1863 –
March 3, 1865		 Retired
Chester D. Hubbard Unconditional Unionist March 4, 1865 –
March 3, 1867		 Lost re-election
Republican March 4, 1867 –
March 3, 1869
Isaac H. Duval Republican March 4, 1869 –
March 3, 1871		 Retired
John J. Davis Democratic March 4, 1871 –
March 3, 1875		 Retired
Benjamin Wilson Democratic March 4, 1875 –
March 3, 1883		 Lost re-election
Nathan Goff Jr. Republican March 4, 1883 –
March 3, 1889		 Retired
John O. Pendleton Democratic March 4, 1889 –
February 26, 1890		 Lost contested election
George W. Atkinson Republican February 26, 1890 –
March 3, 1891		 Retired
John O. Pendleton Democratic March 4, 1891 –
March 3, 1895		 Lost renomination
Blackburn B. Dovener Republican March 4, 1895 –
March 3, 1907		 Lost renomination
William P. Hubbard Republican March 4, 1907 –
March 3, 1911		 Retired
John W. Davis Democratic March 4, 1911 –
August 29, 1913		 Resigned to become U.S. Solicitor General
Vacant August 29, 1913 –
October 14, 1913
Matthew M. Neely Democratic October 14, 1913 –
March 3, 1921		 Lost re-election
Benjamin L. Rosenbloom Republican March 4, 1921 –
March 3, 1925		 Retired to run for U.S. Senate
Carl G. Bachmann Republican March 4, 1925 –
March 3, 1933		 Lost re-election
Robert L. Ramsay Democratic March 4, 1933 –
January 3, 1939		 Lost re-election
A. C. Schiffler Republican January 3, 1939 –
January 3, 1941		 Lost re-election
Robert L. Ramsay Democratic January 3, 1941 –
January 3, 1943		 Lost re-election
A. C. Schiffler Republican January 3, 1943 –
January 3, 1945		 Lost re-election
Matthew M. Neely Democratic January 3, 1945 –
January 3, 1947		 Lost re-election
Francis J. Love Republican January 3, 1947 –
January 3, 1949		 Lost re-election
Robert L. Ramsay Democratic January 3, 1949 –
January 3, 1953		 Lost renomination
Bob Mollohan Democratic January 3, 1953 –
January 3, 1957		 Retired to run for Governor
Arch A. Moore Jr. Republican January 3, 1957 –
January 3, 1969		 Retired to run for Governor
Bob Mollohan Democratic January 3, 1969 –
January 3, 1983		 Retired
Alan Mollohan Democratic January 3, 1983 –
January 3, 2011		 Lost renomination
David McKinley Republican January 3, 2011 –
Present		 Elected in 2010

Historical district boundaries

2003 - 2013

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 West Virginia Blue Book, pp. 534 (2012 edition)
  • 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: 39°22′55″N 80°16′07″W / 39.38194°N 80.26861°W / 39.38194; -80.26861

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