. The district is located in the northwestern part of the state and is based in
. It also includes the cities of
The 4th Congressional District was created in 1843, the first new district in the state in 20 years. It was gained after the
In 1993, Louisiana lost a congressional district and created a second majority-African American district. The 4th Congressional District was thus reconfigured as a 63-percent African American majority district stretching in a roughly "Z" shape from Shreveport to
. At the same time, McCrery's home, along with most of Shreveport's white residents, was drawn into the .
was elected for two terms as the new representative of the 4th Congressional District. When the Supreme Court of the United States invalidated the new 4th Congressional District as unconstitutional, the Louisiana legislature redrew the 4th Congressional District again to encompass most of Northwest Louisiana, closely resembling its pre-1993 configuration. Jim McCrery was elected to this seat.
| Name |
Years |
Party |
District residence |
Notes |
| District created March 4, 1843 |
| Pierre Evariste Jean-Baptiste Bossier |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
March 4, 1843 - April 24, 1844 |
NatchitochesNatchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
|
Died |
| Vacant |
April 24, 1844 - December 2, 1844 |
| Isaac Edward Morse Isaac Edward Morse was a United States Congressman from Louisiana and Attorney General of Louisiana. He was born in Attakapas, Louisiana....
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
December 2, 1844 - March 3, 1851 |
St. MartinvilleSt. Martinville is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, sixteen miles south of Breaux Bridge, eighteen miles southeast of Lafayette, and nine miles north of New Iberia. The population was 6,989 at the 2000 census. It is part of the...
|
|
| John Moore John Moore was an American statesman and planter from Louisiana. He served in the U.S. Congress from 1840 to 1843 and again from 1851 to 1853. He was a lifelong member of the Whig Party....
|
WhigThe Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
|
March 4, 1851 - March 3, 1853 |
Franklin Franklin is a city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
|
|
| Roland Jones Roland Jones was an American politician who represented Louisiana in the United States House of Representatives from 1853-1855....
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
March 4, 1853 - March 3, 1855 |
ShreveportShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
|
|
| John M. Sandidge John Milton Sandidge was a U.S. Representative from Louisiana.Born near Carnesville, Georgia, Sandidge moved to Louisiana and became a planter.He served as colonel in the Mexican War....
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
March 4, 1855 - March 3, 1859 |
Bossier City |
|
| John M. Landrum John Morgan Landrum was a U.S. Representative from Louisiana.Born in Edgefield District, South Carolina, Landrum pursued classical studies and was graduated from South Carolina College at Columbia in 1842.He taught school for several years.He studied law.He was admitted to the bar in 1844 and...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
March 4, 1859 - March 3, 1861 |
ShreveportShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
|
Did not seek re-election as Civil War loomed |
Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and Reconstruction |
| Michel Vidal Michel Vidal was a U.S. Representative from Louisiana.Born in the city of Carcassonne, Languedoc, France, Vidal completed university-level studies in France before emigrating to the Republic of Texas. Soon after Texas became annexed to the United States, Vidal moved to the French-speaking region...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
July 18, 1868 - March 3, 1869 |
Opelousas Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
|
Appointed U.S. consul to Tripoli, Libya |
| Vacant |
March 4, 1869 - May 23, 1870 |
Joseph P. NewshamJoseph Parkinson Newsham was a 19th-century politician, lawyer, merchant and planter from Louisiana.-Biography:...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
May 23, 1870 - March 3, 1871 |
St. FrancisvilleSt. Francisville is a town in and the parish seat of West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:St...
|
Successfully contested election of Michael Ryan to the 41st Congress-House of Representatives:- Senate :* President : Schuyler Colfax* President pro tempore: Henry B. Anthony - House of Representatives :* Speaker: James G. Blaine -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
, Did not seek re-election |
| James McCleery James McCleery was a U.S. Representative from Louisiana.Born in Mecca Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, McCleery attended Oberlin College in 1859 and 1860.He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
March 4, 1871 - November 5, 1871 |
ShreveportShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
|
Died |
| Vacant |
November 5, 1871 - December 3, 1872 |
| Alexander Boarman Alexander 'Aleck' Boarman was a United States federal judge appointed to the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana and United States Congressman. He fought in the American Civil War for the Confederate States of America from 1861–1865; during the war he was...
|
Liberal RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
December 3, 1872 - March 3, 1873 |
ShreveportShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
|
Went on to other political involvements |
| Vacant |
March 4, 1873 - November 24, 1873 |
| George Luke Smith George Luke Smith was a U.S. Representative from Louisiana.Born in New Boston, New Hampshire, Smith completed preparatory studies and attended Union College, Schenectady, New York....
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
November 24, 1873 - March 3, 1875 |
ShreveportShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
|
Elected in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative-elect Samuel Peters |
| William Mallory Levy |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
March 4, 1875 - March 3, 1877 |
NatchitochesNatchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
|
Failed to be renominated by the Democrats |
| Joseph Barton Elam Joseph Barton Elam, Sr. , was a two-term Democratic U.S. representative from Louisiana.-Early life and education:...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
March 4, 1877 - March 3, 1881 |
Mansfield Mansfield is a city in and the parish seat of DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,001 at the 2010 census. Mansfield is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
|
Injured in a stagecoach accident, left Congress, returned to practice of law |
| Newton C. Blanchard Newton Crain Blanchard was a United States Representative, Senator, and the 33rd Governor of Louisiana. Born in Rapides Parish, he completed academic studies, studied law in Alexandria, Louisiana in 1868, and graduated from the Tulane University Law School in 1870...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
March 4, 1881 - March 12, 1894 |
ShreveportShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
|
Resigned, appointed to the United States Senate. |
| Vacant |
March 12, 1894 - May 12, 1894 |
| Henry Warren Ogden Henry Warren Ogden was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana. He was born in Abingdon, Virginia on October 21, 1842...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
May 12, 1894 - March 3, 1899 |
Benton The town of Benton is the parish seat of Bossier Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. The population was 2,035 at the 2000 census. The larger Bossier City is located south of Benton...
|
Preferred farming and went back to it |
| Phanor Breazeale Phanor Breazeale was a U.S. Representative from Louisiana.Born in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, Breazeale attended private schools.He moved to Natchitoches, Louisiana, in 1877....
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
March 4, 1899 - March 3, 1905 |
NatchitochesNatchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
|
Lost Democratic primary to John T. Watkins John Thomas Watkins was a Democratic U.S. representative from northwestern Louisiana who served from 1905-1921...
|
| John T. Watkins John Thomas Watkins was a Democratic U.S. representative from northwestern Louisiana who served from 1905-1921...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
March 4, 1905 - March 3, 1921 |
MindenMinden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
|
Lost Democratic primary to John N. Sandlin John Nicholas Sandlin, Sr. , of Minden, Louisiana, represented his state's Fourth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 1921 to 1937. In 1936, rather than seeking a ninth term in the House, Sandlin, upon the request of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt,...
|
| John N. Sandlin John Nicholas Sandlin, Sr. , of Minden, Louisiana, represented his state's Fourth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 1921 to 1937. In 1936, rather than seeking a ninth term in the House, Sandlin, upon the request of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt,...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
March 4, 1921 - January 3, 1937 |
MindenMinden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
|
Unsuccessfully sought U.S. Senate seat |
| Overton Brooks Thomas Overton Brooks was a Democratic U.S. representative from the Shreveport-based Fourth Congressional District of northwest Louisiana, having served for a quarter century beginning on January 3, 1937. Brooks was a nephew of U.S. Senator John Holmes Overton as well as a great-grandson of Walter...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
January 3, 1937 - September 16, 1961 |
ShreveportShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
|
Died |
| Vacant |
September 16, 1961 - December 19, 1961 |
| Joe Waggoner, Jr. |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
December 19, 1961 - January 3, 1979 |
Benton The town of Benton is the parish seat of Bossier Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. The population was 2,035 at the 2000 census. The larger Bossier City is located south of Benton...
|
Retired from Congress |
| Claude Leach |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
1979–1981 |
Leesville Leesville is a city in and the parish seat of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,753 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to the Fort Polk U.S. Army installation...
|
Defeated by Buddy RoemerCharles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III is an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana, from 1988 to 1992. He was elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party on March 11, 1991...
|
Buddy RoemerCharles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III is an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana, from 1988 to 1992. He was elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party on March 11, 1991...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
January 3, 1981 - March 14, 1988 |
Bossier CityBossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...
|
Resigned to become Governor |
| Vacant |
March 14, 1988 - April 16, 1988 |
Jim McCreryJames Otis "Jim" McCrery, III , is an American lawyer who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1988 to 2009; he represented the 4th District of Louisiana, based in the northwestern quadrant of the state.McCrery was a ranking member on the House Ways and...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
April 16, 1988 - January 3, 1993 |
ShreveportShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
|
Redistricted to |
| Cleo Fields Cleo Fields is a lawyer and politician. He is a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana....
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
January 3, 1993 - January 3, 1997 |
Baton RougeBaton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
|
Redistricted in a way adverse to Fields' continuation |
Jim McCreryJames Otis "Jim" McCrery, III , is an American lawyer who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1988 to 2009; he represented the 4th District of Louisiana, based in the northwestern quadrant of the state.McCrery was a ranking member on the House Ways and...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
January 3, 1997 - January 3, 2009 |
ShreveportShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
|
Redistricted from , Retired from Congress |
| John C. Fleming John Calvin Fleming, Jr. is a Minden, Louisiana physician, the author of the book Preventing Addiction, and the Republican U.S. representative from Louisiana's 4th congressional district...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
January 3, 2009–Present |
MindenMinden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
|