Tennessee's 4th congressional district

Tennessee's 4th congressional district
	Tennessee's 4th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
	Scott DesJarlais; R–South Pittsburg
Distribution	56.16% urban; 43.84% rural;
Population (2016)	767,655
Median income	$56,304
Ethnicity	84.95% white; 9.23% black; 1.59% Asian; 6.21% Hispanic; 0.23% Native American;
Cook PVI	R+20

The 4th Congressional District of Tennessee is a congressional district in southern Tennessee. It has been represented by Republican Scott DesJarlais since January 2011.

Current boundaries[edit]

The district lies mostly in the southern part of Middle Tennessee, but stretches into East Tennessee. It is currently composed of the following counties: Bedford, Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln, Marion, Marshall, Meigs, Moore, Rhea, Rutherford, Sequatchie, and Warren. It also contains significant portions of Bradley, Maury, and Van Buren counties.

Characteristics[edit]

Most of the district is rural, but many residents live in suburbs of Chattanooga and Nashville. The area is very hilly, and has many well-known geographical features related to its location on the Cumberland Plateau. Possibly the most famous of these is Fall Creek Falls in Van Buren County.

This part of Tennessee has several well-recognized distilleries such as Duck River, George Dickel, Southern Pride, and most famously the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg.^[5]

The region encompasses many of Tennessee's higher education facilities, such as Middle Tennessee State University, Sewanee: The University of the South, Bryan College, and Lee University.

According to the 2010 census, the five largest cities are Murfreesboro (108,755), Cleveland (41,285), Smyrna (39,974), LaVergne (32,588), and Shelbyville (20,335).

Election results from presidential races[edit]

Year	Office	Result
2000	President	George W. Bush 50% - Al Gore 49%
2004	President	George W. Bush 58% - John Kerry 41%
2008	President	John McCain 62.6% - Barack Obama 35.8%
2012	President	Mitt Romney 65.3% - Barack Obama 33%
2016	President	Donald Trump 68.6% - Hillary Clinton 27.4%

History[edit]

Throughout the 20th century, the 4th district took many different forms. Though, in most cases, it encompassed most of the rural area between Nashville and Knoxville. It has often been the state's largest district in terms of area, and one of the largest east of the Mississippi River, because of low population density and the district's rural character.

For almost thirty years (1947-1977), this area of Tennessee was represented in Congress by Joe L. Evins. (Early in his political career, his district was numbered as the "5th", but that district was almost entirely in what became the 4th after the 1950s round of redistricting.)^[6] Evins' successor in Congress was future vice president Al Gore, Jr., who represented the 4th from 1977 to 1983.

The district's current configuration dates from he 1980 census, when Tennessee gained a new congressional seat. Parts of what were previously in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th districts were combined to form a new 4th district. Most of Gore's territory became the 6th district.

The new district took pieces of traditional heavily Republican East Tennessee and traditionally Democratic Middle Tennessee. It was so large that it stretched across five of Tennessee's eight television markets (Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, the Tri-Cities, as well as the Tennessee share of the Huntsville, Alabama market).^[7] and five of the state's nine radio markets (the above-mentioned cities, plus Cookeville). This gave congressional races much of the feel of statewide races; candidates' advertising budgets sometimes rivaled those for governor and U.S. Senate. Open-seat races in this district were usually among the most-watched in the country. However, the district's large size and lack of unifying influences make it very difficult to unseat an incumbent. Consequently, the district's congressman was usually reckoned as a statewide figure, with a good chance for winning state office in the future.

In 1982, Democrat Jim Cooper, son of former governor Prentice Cooper defeated Cissy Baker, daughter of Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker. Cooper went on to represent the district for the rest of the 80s and early 90s.^[8] On paper, this district was not safe for either party, given its volatile demographics. Much of the eastern portion of the district, for instance, had not been represented by a Democrat since before the Civil War. However, Cooper was reelected five times without serious difficulty.

Cooper gave up his seat to run for Senate in 1994, where he lost to Fred Thompson. He was succeeded by Republican Van Hilleary in the massive Republican wave of that year. Hilleary was reelected three times without much difficulty, handily winning a second term even as Bill Clinton carried the district due to Gore's presence as his running mate; he'd represented much of the western portion of the district for his first three terms in the House.

In 2002, Hilleary made a failed attempt to become Governor of Tennessee, and was replaced by state senator Lincoln Davis. Davis held the seat for eight years.

In 2010, Davis was challenged by South Pittsburg doctor Scott DesJarlais, who rode to victory on the Tea Party wave of 2010 despite Davis raising more money.^[9] This marked the first time that an incumbent had been defeated in the district since the reformation of the district in 1980.

Following the DesJarlais victory and the 2010 census, the 4th was made slightly more compact. The district lost its northern portion, including its territory near the Tri-Cities and Knoxville. On the other hand, the 4th gained significant additions with Rutherford County and northern Bradley County.

List of members representing the district[edit]

Name	Years	Party	Residence	Electoral history	District location
District created March 4, 1813
John H. Bowen	March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815	Democratic-Republican	[Data unknown/missing.]	Elected in 1813. Retired.	[Data unknown/missing.]
Bennett H. Henderson	March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817	Democratic-Republican	[Data unknown/missing.]	Elected in 1815. Retired.
Samuel E. Hogg	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819	Democratic-Republican	[Data unknown/missing.]	Elected in 1817. [Data unknown/missing.]
Robert Allen	March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1823	Democratic-Republican	[Data unknown/missing.]	[Data unknown/missing.] Redistricted to the 5th district.
Jacob C. Isacks	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	Jacksonian D-R	Winchester	[Data unknown/missing.]
Jacob C. Isacks	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1833	Jacksonian	Winchester	[Data unknown/missing.]
James I. Standifer	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835	Jacksonian	Kingston	Redistricted from the 3rd district. [Data unknown/missing.]
	March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837	Anti-Jacksonian		[Data unknown/missing.]
	March 4, 1837 – August 20, 1837	Whig		[Data unknown/missing.] Died.
Vacant		August 20, 1837 – September 14, 1837
William Stone	September 14, 1837 – March 3, 1839	Whig	Sequatchie County	Elected September 14, 1837 to finish Standifer's term and seated October 6, 1837. [Data unknown/missing.]
Julius W. Blackwell	March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841	Democratic	Athens	[Data unknown/missing.]
Thomas J. Campbell	March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843	Whig	Rhea County	[Data unknown/missing.]
Alvan Cullom	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847	Democratic	Livingston	[Data unknown/missing.]
Hugh Hill	March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849	Democratic	McMinnville	[Data unknown/missing.]
John H. Savage	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853	Democratic	Smithville	[Data unknown/missing.]
William Cullom	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	Whig	Carthage	Redistricted from the 8th district. [Data unknown/missing.]
John H. Savage	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1859	Democratic	Smithville	[Data unknown/missing.]
William B. Stokes	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861	Opposition	Alexandria	[Data unknown/missing.]
Andrew J. Clements	March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863	Unionist	Lafayette	[Data unknown/missing.]
American Civil War
Edmund Cooper	July 24, 1866 – March 3, 1867	Unionist	Shelbyville	[Data unknown/missing.]
James Mullins	March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869	Republican	Shelbyville	[Data unknown/missing.]
Lewis Tillman	March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1871	Republican	Shelbyville	[Data unknown/missing.]
John M. Bright	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875	Democratic	Fayetteville	[Data unknown/missing.] Redistricted to the 5th district.
Samuel M. Fite	March 4, 1875 – October 23, 1875	Democratic	Carthage	[Data unknown/missing.] Died.
Vacant		October 23, 1875 – December 14, 1875
Haywood Y. Riddle	December 14, 1875 – March 3, 1879	Democratic	Lebanon	[Data unknown/missing.]
Benton McMillin	March 4, 1879 – January 6, 1899	Democratic	Celina	[Data unknown/missing.] Resigned when elected Governor
Vacant		January 6, 1899 – March 3, 1899
Charles E. Snodgrass	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1903	Democratic	Crossville	[Data unknown/missing.]
Morgan C. Fitzpatrick	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1905	Democratic	Hartsville	[Data unknown/missing.]
Mounce G. Butler	March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1907	Democratic	Gainesboro	[Data unknown/missing.]
Cordell Hull	March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1921	Democratic	Celina	[Data unknown/missing.]
Wynne F. Clouse	March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1923	Republican	Cookeville	[Data unknown/missing.]
Cordell Hull	March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1931	Democratic	Celina	[Data unknown/missing.]
John R. Mitchell	March 4, 1931 – January 3, 1939	Democratic	Crossville	[Data unknown/missing.]
Albert Gore, Sr.	January 3, 1939 – December 4, 1944	Democratic	Carthage	[Data unknown/missing.] Resigned December 4, 1944 to enter US Army
Vacant		December 4, 1944 – January 3, 1945
Albert Gore, Sr.	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1953	Democratic	Carthage	[Data unknown/missing.]
Joe L. Evins	January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1977	Democratic	Smithville	Redistricted from the 5th district. [Data unknown/missing.]
Al Gore	January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1983	Democratic	Carthage	[Data unknown/missing.] Redistricted to the 6th district.
Jim Cooper	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1995	Democratic	Shelbyville	[Data unknown/missing.]
Van Hilleary	January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003	Republican	Spring City	[Data unknown/missing.]
Lincoln Davis	January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2011	Democratic	Pall Mall	[Data unknown/missing.]
Scott DesJarlais	January 3, 2011 – Present	Republican	South Pittsburg	Incumbent

Living former members[edit]

As of January 2019^[update], there are four living former members. The most recent to die was Albert Gore Sr. (served 1939–1953) on December 5, 1998. The most recent serving representative to die was Joe L. Evins (served 1953–1977) on March 31, 1984.

Representative	Term of office	Date of birth (and age)
Al Gore	1977–1983	(1948-03-31) March 31, 1948 (age 71)
Jim Cooper	1983–1995	(1959-06-20) June 20, 1959 (age 60)
Van Hilleary	1995–2003	(1954-06-19) June 19, 1954 (age 65)
Lincoln Davis	2003–2011	(1943-09-13) September 13, 1943 (age 76)

Historical district boundaries[edit]

2003 - 2013

References[edit]

^ https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/cd_state.html
^ https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=47&cd=04
^ https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=47&cd=04
^ "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-05-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ http://cdmaps.polisci.ucla.edu/
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2016-05-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,925782,00.html
^ http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/house/tennessee/4

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
Political Graveyard database of Tennessee congressmen

External links[edit]

Congress.com: Tennessee Congressional districts

Coordinates: 35°15′44″N 86°37′44″W / 35.26222°N 86.62889°W / 35.26222; -86.62889

[1] ttps://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/cd_state.html

[2] ttps://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=47&cd=04

[3] ttps://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=47&cd=04

[Cook-4] "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.

[5] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-05-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[6] ttp://cdmaps.polisci.ucla.edu/

[7] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2016-05-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[8] ttp://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,925782,00.html

[9] ttp://elections.nytimes.com/2010/house/tennessee/4

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v t e Al Gore
45th Vice President of the United States (1993–2001) U.S. Senator from Tennessee (1985–1993) U.S. Representative from Tennessee (1977–1985) Born (1948-03-31)March 31, 1948
Politics	Electoral history House elections: 1976 1978 1980 1982 Atari Democrat Senate elections: 1984 1990 Prevention of Genocide Act of 1988 1988 presidential campaign 1992 Democratic National Convention 1992 presidential election 1996 Democratic National Convention 1996 presidential election Vice presidency 2000 Democratic National Convention 2000 presidential election 2000 presidential campaign Bush v. Gore
Environment	Global Marshall Plan Environmental activism Alliance for Climate Protection An Inconvenient Truth "I Need to Wake Up" Live Earth An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power
Technology	Role in information technology High Performance Computing Act of 1991 National Information Infrastructure Information superhighway The Superhighway Summit Deep Space Climate Observatory 24 Hours in Cyberspace NetDay Digital Earth Current TV
Recognition	Awards and honors
Books	Earth in the Balance An Inconvenient Truth The Assault on Reason Our Choice An Inconvenient Sequel
Family	Tipper Gore (wife, separated) Karenna Gore (daughter) Kristin Gore (daughter) Albert Gore Sr. (father) Pauline LaFon Gore (mother)
Category