Virginia's 19th congressional district

Summary

Virginia's 19th congressional district is an obsolete congressional district in Virginia. It was created in 1793 after the 1790 U.S. census and was eliminated in 1843 after the 1840 U.S. census. Its last congressman was George W. Summers.

Virginia's 19th congressional district
Obsolete district
Created1793
Eliminated1843
Years active1793–1843

Boundaries edit

The congressional district existed for fifty years. During that time it moved around the Commonwealth, from the east of Virginia to the west (since 1863 in the state of West Virginia). Although all the counties in the district after particular boundary changes have not been confirmed, it is possible to give a general indication of the part of the state involved. This is based on notes in Dubin's book about incomplete returns.

1793–1803: The district included Westmoreland and Northumberland counties in the Northern Neck peninsula of eastern Virginia.

1803–1813: The district number was re-allocated to the south-east of the state, bordering on North Carolina, including Isle of Wight, Southampton, Surry and Sussex counties.

1813–1823: The district moved north-west of its previous incarnation to include Dinwiddie and Nottoway counties.

1823–1833: The district moved west to overlap the post 1863-boundary between Virginia and West Virginia, in what at the time was the middle of the Commonwealth. The territory in the district included Bath County, Virginia and what subsequently became Pocahontas County, West Virginia.

1833–1843: The district extended to the western edge of the pre-1863 Virginia. It included the now West Virginia counties of Cabell, Fayette, Logan and Nicholas.

List of members representing the district edit

Representative Party Term Cong
ress
Electoral history
District established March 4, 1793
John Heath
(Northumberland County)
Anti-Administration March 4, 1793 –
March 3, 1795
3rd
4th
Elected in 1793.
Re-elected in 1795.
Retired.
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1795 –
March 3, 1797
Walter Jones
(Hayfield)
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1797 –
March 3, 1799
5th Elected in 1797.
Lost re-election.
 
Henry Lee
(Stratford Hall)
Federalist March 4, 1799 –
March 3, 1801
6th Elected in 1799.
Retired.
John Taliaferro
(Fredericksburg)
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1801 –
March 3, 1803
7th Elected in 1801.
Retired.
Edwin Gray Democratic-Republican March 4, 1803 –
March 3, 1813
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
Redistricted from the 10th district and re-elected in 1803.
Re-elected in 1805.
Re-elected in 1807.
Re-elected in 1809.
Re-elected in 1811.
Redistricted to the 20th district and lost re-election.
 
Peterson Goodwyn
(Petersburg)
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1813 –
February 21, 1818
13th
14th
15th
Redistricted from the 18th district and re-elected in 1813.
Re-elected in 1815.
Re-elected in 1817.
Died.
Vacant February 21, 1818 –
April 21, 1818
15th
John Pegram
(Dinwiddie)
Democratic-Republican April 21, 1818 –
March 3, 1819
Elected to finish Goodwyn's term.
Retired.
 
James Jones
(Hendersonville)
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1819 –
March 3, 1823
16th
17th
Elected in 1819.
Re-elected in 1821.
Retired.
William McCoy
(Franklin)
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1823 –
March 3, 1825
18th
19th
20th
21st
22nd
Redistricted from the 4th district and re-elected in 1823.
Re-elected in 1825.
Re-elected in 1827.
Re-elected in 1829.
Re-elected in 1831.
Retired.
Jacksonian March 4, 1825 –
March 3, 1833
 
William McComas
(Cabell County)
Jacksonian March 4, 1833 –
March 3, 1835
23rd
24th
Elected in 1833.
Re-elected in 1835.
[data missing]
Anti-Jacksonian March 4, 1835 –
March 3, 1837
 
Andrew Beirne
(Union)
Democratic March 4, 1837 –
March 3, 1841
25th
26th
Elected in 1837.
Re-elected in 1839.
[data missing]
 
George W. Summers
(Kanawha)
Whig March 4, 1841 –
March 3, 1843
27th Elected in 1841.
Redistricted to the 14th district.
District dissolved March 4, 1843

Election results edit

When complete vote totals are not available, incomplete vote totals are in brackets. All Virginia general congressional elections, for Virginia, in the period covered by this article, were held after the start of the legal term of the Congress. The congressional term started on March 4 in odd numbered years. The Virginia election was usually held in March or April. The House mostly convened for the first time during one of the last three months of the year.

U.S. House election; March 18, 1793: Virginia, District 19
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Anti-Administration John Heath (95) Elected N/A N/A
Walter Jones (137) Defeated N/A N/A
Francis Lee (2) Defeated N/A N/A
Majority N/A N/A N/A
Turnout N/A N/A N/A
  • Note (1793): Returns from Westmoreland County only. Party label for Heath taken from the Wikipedia article on the 3rd Congress, as Dubin gives no party labels for this election.
U.S. House election; March 16, 1795: Virginia, District 19
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic-Republican John Heath Elected unopposed N/A N/A
Majority N/A N/A N/A
Turnout N/A N/A N/A
  • Note (1795): Incomplete data.
U.S. House election; March 20, 1797: Virginia, District 19
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic-Republican Walter Jones (127) Elected N/A N/A
-. Ball (70) Defeated N/A N/A
Majority N/A N/A N/A
Turnout N/A N/A N/A
  • Note (1797): Returns from Westmoreland County only.

References edit

  • United States Congressional Elections, 1788–1997: The Official Results, by Michael J. Dubin (McFarland and Company, 1998)
  • 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