Tennessee's 2nd congressional district
Encyclopedia
The 2nd congressional district of Tennessee is a congressional district in Tennessee
. It currently includes the east central part of the state.
The district is based in Knoxville, and is largely coextensive with that city's metropolitan area. It includes most of that city's suburbs, such as Powell
, Farragut
and Maryville. It extends into the northern fringes of the Chattanooga area, including Athens
.
The 2nd is one of the safest districts in the nation for the Republican Party. No Democrat has represented the district since 1855, and Republicans (or their antecedents) have held the district continuously since 1859. It was one of only two districts in Tennessee (the other being the neighboring 1st district
) whose congressmen did not resign when Tennessee seceded
from the Union
prior to the Civil War
.
Because most of its residents supported the Union over the Confederacy
, the people almost immediately identified with the Republicans after hostilities ceased. Much of that sentiment was derived from the region's economic base of small-scale farming, with little or no use for slavery
; thus, voters were mostly indifferent or hostile to the concerns of plantation
owners and other landed interests farther west in the state, who aligned themselves with the Democratic Party. This loyalty has persisted to this day despite the vast ideological changes in both political parties since that time.
From the end of Reconstruction through the 1950s, the Republican Party in Tennessee was more or less nonexistent outside of East Tennessee
. However, in the 1960s conservative Democratic whites, especially in suburban Memphis
and Nashville
, began voting for the likes of Barry Goldwater
, Howard Baker
(whose father and stepmother were representatives from the 2nd in the 1950s and 1960s), and Richard Nixon
. Traditional East Tennessee Republicans, who held most if not all the conservative views of those from the other two grand divisions of the state, began welcoming them into their party, and have worked more or less together as a coalition ever since.
A few pockets of Democratic voters exist in Knoxville, which has occasionally elected Democratic mayors and sends a few Democrats to the state legislature. However, they are no match for the overwhelming Republican tilt of the rural areas, the Knoxville suburbs, and most of Knoxville itself. Coal miners in the far northern fringe of the district also supported Democrats from the 1930s onward, but nearly all of the coal-mining region was drawn into the 4th district
after the 1980 Census.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. It currently includes the east central part of the state.
The district is based in Knoxville, and is largely coextensive with that city's metropolitan area. It includes most of that city's suburbs, such as Powell
Powell, Tennessee
Powell is an unincorporated community in Knox County, Tennessee, United States. The United States Geographic Names System classifies Powell as a populated place. The area is located in the Emory Road corridor, just north of Knoxville, southeast of Clinton, and east of Oak Ridge...
, Farragut
Farragut, Tennessee
Farragut is a town in Knox and Loudon counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, and is generally a suburb of nearby Knoxville. Farragut's population was 20,689 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area...
and Maryville. It extends into the northern fringes of the Chattanooga area, including Athens
Athens, Tennessee
Athens is a city in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of McMinn County and the principal city of the Athens Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens Combined Statistical Area. The population was 13,220 at the 2000...
.
The 2nd is one of the safest districts in the nation for the Republican Party. No Democrat has represented the district since 1855, and Republicans (or their antecedents) have held the district continuously since 1859. It was one of only two districts in Tennessee (the other being the neighboring 1st district
Tennessee's 1st congressional district
The Tennessee 1st Congressional District is the congressional district of northeast Tennessee, including all of Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties and parts of Jefferson County and Sevier County...
) whose congressmen did not resign when Tennessee seceded
Secession in the United States
Secession in the United States can refer to secession of a state from the United States, secession of part of a state from that state to form a new state, or secession of an area from a city or county....
from the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
prior to the Civil War
American Civil War
The 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...
.
Because most of its residents supported the Union over the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
, the people almost immediately identified with the Republicans after hostilities ceased. Much of that sentiment was derived from the region's economic base of small-scale farming, with little or no use for slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
; thus, voters were mostly indifferent or hostile to the concerns of plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
owners and other landed interests farther west in the state, who aligned themselves with the Democratic Party. This loyalty has persisted to this day despite the vast ideological changes in both political parties since that time.
From the end of Reconstruction through the 1950s, the Republican Party in Tennessee was more or less nonexistent outside of East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
. However, in the 1960s conservative Democratic whites, especially in suburban Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
and Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, began voting for the likes of Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
, Howard Baker
Howard Baker
Howard Henry Baker, Jr. is a former Senate Majority Leader, Republican U.S. Senator from Tennessee, White House Chief of Staff, and a former United States Ambassador to Japan.Known in Washington, D.C...
(whose father and stepmother were representatives from the 2nd in the 1950s and 1960s), and Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
. Traditional East Tennessee Republicans, who held most if not all the conservative views of those from the other two grand divisions of the state, began welcoming them into their party, and have worked more or less together as a coalition ever since.
A few pockets of Democratic voters exist in Knoxville, which has occasionally elected Democratic mayors and sends a few Democrats to the state legislature. However, they are no match for the overwhelming Republican tilt of the rural areas, the Knoxville suburbs, and most of Knoxville itself. Coal miners in the far northern fringe of the district also supported Democrats from the 1930s onward, but nearly all of the coal-mining region was drawn into the 4th district
Tennessee's 4th congressional district
The 4th Congressional District of Tennessee is a congressional district in Middle and East Tennessee. It is 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 rural character...
after the 1980 Census.
List of representatives
| Name | Party | Years | District Residence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created March 4, 1813 | ||||
| John Sevier John Sevier John Sevier served four years as the only governor of the State of Franklin and twelve years as Governor of Tennessee. As a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1811 until his death... |
Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Party (United States) The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along... |
March 4, 1813 – September 24, 1815 |
Redistricted from Died |
|
| Vacant | September 24, 1815 – December 8, 1815 |
|||
| William G. Blount William Grainger Blount William Grainger Blount was a statesman from Tennessee, the son of William Blount and the nephew of Thomas Blount. He was born near New Bern, North Carolina in Craven County and attended the New Bern Academy.... |
Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Party (United States) The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along... |
December 8, 1815 – March 3, 1819 |
||
| John A. Cocke John Alexander Cocke John Alexander Cocke was an American politician who represented Tennessee as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He was born in Brunswick, Nottoway County, Virginia in 1772. He moved with his parents to Tennessee, where he attended the public schools... |
Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Party (United States) The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along... |
March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1823 |
||
| Jacksonian D-R Democratic-Republican Party (United States) The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along... |
March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 |
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| Jacksonian | March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1827 |
|||
| Pryor Lea Pryor Lea Pryor Lea was a two-term U.S. Representative from Tennessee.Lea was born in Knox County, Tennessee. He studied at the former Greeneville College and then studied law, being admitted to the bar in 1817 and practicing in Knoxville. He had previously served in the Creek War of 1813... |
Jacksonian | March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1831 |
||
| Thomas D. Arnold Thomas Dickens Arnold Thomas Dickens Arnold was an American politician that represented Tennessee's second and first districts in the United States House of Representatives. He was born in Spotsylvania County, Virginia on May 3, 1798. He moved with his parents to Knox County, Tennessee in 1808. At the age of fourteen,... |
Anti-Jacksonian National Republican Party (United States) The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition... |
March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833 |
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| Samuel Bunch Samuel Bunch Samuel Bunch was an American politician that represented Tennessee's second district in the United States House of Representatives. He was born on December 4, 1786 in Grainger County, Tennessee. He attended the public schools and engaged in agricultural pursuits... |
Jacksonian | March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835 |
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| Anti-Jacksonian | March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837 |
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| Abraham McClellan | Democrat Democratic Party (United States) 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, 1837 – March 3, 1843 |
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| William T. Senter William Tandy Senter William Tandy Senter was an American politician that represented Tennessee's second district in the United States House of Representatives. He was born at Bean Station, Tennessee on May 12, 1801. He attended the common schools, held several local offices, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He... |
Whig | March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845 |
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| William M. Cocke William Michael Cocke William Michael Cocke was an American politician who represented Tennessee's second district in the United States House of Representatives.-Biography:... |
Whig | March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1849 |
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| Albert G. Watkins Albert Galiton Watkins Albert Galiton Watkins was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives.-Biography:He was born near Jefferson City, Tennessee on May 5, 1818. He graduated from Holston College in Tennessee and studied law. He was admitted to the bar and began private practice at... |
Whig | March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853 |
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| William M. Churchwell William Montgomery Churchwell William Montgomery Churchwell was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives.-Biography:He was born near Knoxville, Tennessee in Knox County on February 20, 1826. He attended private schools and Emory and Henry College in Emory, Virginia from 1840 to 1843. He... |
Democrat Democratic Party (United States) 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 |
Redistricted from the 3rd district Tennessee's 3rd congressional district The 3rd Congressional District of Tennessee is a congressional district in Tennessee. It currently includes a north-south strip in the eastern part of the state. Current Republican Representative Chuck Fleischmann has served since 2011.... |
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| William H. Sneed William Henry Sneed William Henry Sneed was an American attorney and politician, active initially in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and later in Knoxville, Tennessee, during the mid-19th century. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 2nd congressional district during the... |
American Know Nothing The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by... |
March 4, 1855 – March 4, 1857 |
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| Horace Maynard Horace Maynard Horace Maynard was an American educator, attorney, politician and diplomat active primarily in the second half of the 19th century... |
Know Nothing Know Nothing The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by... |
March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859 |
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| Opposition Opposition Party (United States) The Opposition Party in the United States is a label with two different applications in Congressional history, as a majority party in Congress 1854-58, and as a Third Party in the South 1858-1860.... |
March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861 |
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| Unionist Unionist Party (United States) The Union Party was a fusion political party conceived by Republicans in 1861 to combine people of all political affiliations into a single movement committed to the preservation of the Union and to war. Republicans wanted to project an image of wartime nonpartisanship and they also expected to... |
March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863 |
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| Civil War American Civil War The 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... |
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| Horace Maynard Horace Maynard Horace Maynard was an American educator, attorney, politician and diplomat active primarily in the second half of the 19th century... |
Unconditional Unionist Unionist Party (United States) The Union Party was a fusion political party conceived by Republicans in 1861 to combine people of all political affiliations into a single movement committed to the preservation of the Union and to war. Republicans wanted to project an image of wartime nonpartisanship and they also expected to... |
July 24, 1866 – March 3, 1867 |
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| Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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, 1867 – March 3, 1873 |
Redistricted to the At-large district Tennessee's At-large congressional district -1796 – 1813: One, then three seats :Tennessee began with one seat in 1796. It was apportioned two more seats in 1803. With the addition of two representatives following the 1800 Census, all three seats were elected 'General Ticket' state-wide for the 8th Congress... |
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| Jacob M. Thornburgh Jacob Montgomery Thornburgh Jacob Montgomery Thornburgh was an American attorney and politician who represented Tennessee's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1873 to 1879... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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, 1873 – March 3, 1879 |
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| Leonidas C. Houk Leonidas C. Houk Leonidas Campbell Houk was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 2nd congressional district of Tennessee... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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, 1879 – May 25, 1891 |
Died | |
| Vacant | May 25, 1991 – December 7, 1891 |
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| John C. Houk John C. Houk John Chiles Houk was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 2nd congressional district of Tennessee.-Biography:... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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 7, 1891 – March 3, 1895 |
Succeeded his father | |
| Henry R. Gibson Henry R. Gibson Henry Richard Gibson was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 2nd congressional district of Tennessee.-Biography:... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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, 1895 – March 3, 1905 |
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| Nathan W. Hale Nathan W. Hale Nathan Wesley Hale was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 2nd congressional district of Tennessee.-Biography:... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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, 1905 – March 3, 1909 |
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| Richard W. Austin Richard W. Austin Richard Wilson Austin was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 2nd congressional district of Tennessee. He was born on August 26, 1857 in Decatur, Alabama in Morgan County. He attended the common schools, Loudon High School, and the University of... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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, 1909 – March 3, 1919 |
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| J. Will Taylor J. Will Taylor James Willis Taylor was a U.S. Representative from Tennessee.Born near Lead Mine Bend in Union County, Tennessee, Taylor attended the public schools, Holbrook Normal College, Fountain City, Tennessee, and the American Temperance University, Harriman, Tennessee.He taught school for several years.He... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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, 1919 – November 14, 1939 |
Died | |
| Vacant | November 14, 1939 – December 30, 1939 |
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| John Jennings, Jr. | Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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 30, 1939 – January 3, 1951 |
Knoxville | |
| Howard H. Baker, Sr. | Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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, 1951 – January 7, 1964 |
Died | |
| Vacant | January 7, 1964 – March 10, 1964 |
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| Irene B. Baker | Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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 10, 1964 – January 3, 1965 |
Succeeded her husband | |
| John J. Duncan, Sr. | Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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, 1965 – June 21, 1988 |
Died | |
| Vacant | June 21, 1988 – November 7, 1988 |
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| John J. Duncan, Jr. | Republican Republican Party (United States) The 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 8, 1988 – Present |
Incumbent, succeeded his father | |