South Carolina's 4th congressional district

The 4th congressional district of South Carolina is a congressional district in upstate South Carolina bordering North Carolina. It includes parts of Greenville and Spartanburg counties. The district is characterized by the two major cities of Greenville and Spartanburg.

South Carolina's 4th congressional district
South Carolina's 4th congressional district since January 3, 2013
Representative	William Timmons R–Greenville
Population (2010)	709,631[1]
Median income	$53,006[2]
Ethnicity	74.2% white 19.3% black 7.7% Hispanic 2.5% Asian 1.4% other 0.2% Native American
Cook PVI	R+15[3]

The district is one of its most conservative. In the late 20th century, it has been in Republican hands since 1979, aside from a six-year stint by Democrat Liz J. Patterson, the daughter of former Senator Olin Johnston. Even before the Republicans finally took control of the seat, the 4th had been a rather conservative district. Like in most of the state, the old-line Southern Democrats began splitting their tickets as early as the 1940s. However, this area's white conservatives became increasingly willing to support Republicans at the state and local level as early as the 1970s, well before the rest of the state swung Republican. The district is a major destination for presidential candidates in election years, as South Carolina is one of the first states to hold a presidential primary.

Republican William Timmons has represented the district since January 3, 2019. He succeeded Republican Trey Gowdy who did not seek reelection.

History

From 2003 to 2013 the district included all of Spartanburg and Union counties and parts of Greenville and Laurens counties.

Election results from recent presidential races

Year	Result
2004	George W. Bush 65–34%
2008	John McCain 60.6–37.7%
2012	Mitt Romney 62.2–36.2%
2016	Donald Trump 60.2–34.5%

List of members representing the district

Member (Residence)	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District location
Thomas Sumter ([data unknown/missing])	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1793	1st 2nd	Elected in 1788. Re-elected in 1790. [data unknown/missing]	1789–1793 "Camden district" South Carolina congressional districts, 1789–1793   1st district, Charleston   2nd district, Beaufort-Orangeburg   3rd district, Georgetown-Cheraw   4th district, Camden   5th district, Ninety-Six
Richard Winn ([data unknown/missing])	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795	3rd 4th	Elected in 1793. Re-elected in 1794. Lost re-election.	1793–1797 "Camden district" (Map unknown)
	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797
Thomas Sumter ([data unknown/missing])	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1797 – December 15, 1801	5th 6th 7th	Elected in 1796. Re-elected in 1798. Re-elected in 1800. Resigned when elected U.S. Senator.	1797–1803 "Camden district" 1796 election results by district
Vacant		December 15, 1801 – January 24, 1802	7th
Richard Winn ([data unknown/missing])	Democratic-Republican	January 24, 1802 – March 3, 1803		Elected to finish Sumter's term. Redistricted to the 5th district.
Wade Hampton (Columbia)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1805	8th	Elected in 1803. Retired.	1803–1813 "Orangeburgh district"
O'Brien Smith (Jacksonboro)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1805 – March 3, 1807	9th	Elected in 1804. Retired.
John Taylor (Columbia)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1807 – December 30, 1810	10th 11th	Elected in 1806. Re-elected in 1808. Lost re-election and resigned.
Vacant		December 30, 1810 – March 3, 1811	11th
William Lowndes (Charleston)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1813	12th	Elected in 1810. Redistricted to the 2nd district.
John J. Chappell (Columbia)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1817	13th 14th	Elected in 1812. Re-elected in 1814. Lost re-election.	1813–1823 "Orangeburgh district"
Joseph Bellinger (Barnwell)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819	15th	Elected in 1816. Retired.
James Overstreet (Barnwell)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1819 – May 24, 1822	16th 17th	Elected in 1818. Re-elected in 1820. Died.
Vacant		May 24, 1822 – December 4, 1822	17th
Andrew R. Govan (Orangeburg)	Democratic-Republican	December 4, 1822 – March 3, 1823	17th 18th 19th	Elected to finish Overstreet's term. Re-elected in 1823. Re-elected in 1824. Lost re-election.
	Jackson Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825			1823–1833 "Orangeburgh district": Barnwell, Lexington, Orangeburgh, and Richland counties
	Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1827
William D. Martin (Coosawhatchie)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1831	20th 21st	Elected in 1826. Re-elected in 1828. [data unknown/missing]
John M. Felder (Orangeburg)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833	22nd 23rd	Elected in 1830. Re-elected in 1833. [data unknown/missing]
	Nullifier	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835			1833–1843 [data unknown/missing]
James H. Hammond (Newberry)	Nullifier	March 4, 1835 – February 26, 1836	24th	Elected in 1834. Resigned.
Vacant		February 26, 1836 – December 10, 1836
Franklin H. Elmore (Walterboro)	Nullifier	December 10, 1836 – March 3, 1839	24th 25th	Elected October 10, 1836 to finish Hammond's term and seated December 19, 1836. Elected the same day in 1836 to the next term. [data unknown/missing]
Sampson H. Butler (Charleston)	Democratic	March 4, 1839 – September 27, 1842	26th 27th	Elected in 1838. Re-elected in 1840. Resigned.
Vacant		September 27, 1842 – December 17, 1842	27th
Samuel W. Trotti ([data unknown/missing])	Democratic	December 17, 1842 – March 3, 1843		Elected to finish Butler's term. [data unknown/missing]
John Campbell (Parnassus)	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845	28th	Redistricted from the 3rd district and re-elected in 1843. [data unknown/missing]	1843–1853 [data unknown/missing]
Alexander D. Sims (Darlington)	Democratic	March 4, 1845 – November 22, 1848	29th 30th	Elected in 1844. Re-elected in 1846. Re-elected in 1848 but died.
Vacant		November 22, 1848 – February 12, 1849	30th
John McQueen (Society Hill)	Democratic	February 12, 1849 – March 3, 1853	30th 31st 32nd	Elected to finish Sims's term. Redistricted to the 1st district.
Preston S. Brooks (Edgefield)	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – July 15, 1856	33rd 34th	Elected in 1853. Re-elected in 1854. Resigned.	1853–1863 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		July 15, 1856 – August 1, 1856	34th
Preston S. Brooks (Edgefield)	Democratic	August 1, 1856 – January 28, 1857		Re-elected to finish his vacant term. Died.
Vacant		January 28, 1857 – March 3, 1857
Milledge L. Bonham (Edgefield)	Democratic	March 4, 1857 – December 21, 1860	35th 36th	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
Vacant		December 21, 1860 – July 18, 1868	36th 37th 38th 39th 40th	Civil War and Reconstruction
					1863–1873 [data unknown/missing]
James H. Goss (Union)	Republican	July 18, 1868 – March 3, 1869	40th	Elected in 1868. Retired.
Vacant		March 4, 1869 – May 27, 1870	41st	William D. Simpson (D) elected, but not seated.
Alexander S. Wallace (York)	Republican	May 27, 1870 – March 3, 1877	41st 42nd 43rd 44th	Successfully contested election of William D. Simpson. Re-elected in 1870. Re-elected in 1872. Re-elected in 1874. Lost re-election.
					1873–1883 [data unknown/missing]
John H. Evins (Spartanburg)	Democratic	March 4, 1877 – October 20, 1884	45th 46th 47th 48th	Elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Re-elected in 1882. Died.
					1883–1893 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		October 20, 1884 – December 8, 1884	48th
John Bratton (Winnsboro)	Democratic	December 8, 1884 – March 3, 1885		Elected to finish Evins's term. Retired.
William H. Perry (Greenville)	Democratic	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1891	49th 50th 51st	[data unknown/missing]
George W. Shell (Laurens)	Democratic	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895	52nd 53rd	[data unknown/missing]
					1893–1903 [data unknown/missing]
Stanyarne Wilson (Spartanburg)	Democratic	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1901	54th 55th 56th	[data unknown/missing]
Joseph T. Johnson (Spartanburg)	Democratic	March 4, 1901 – April 19, 1915	57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th	[data unknown/missing] Resigned.
					1903–1933 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		April 19, 1915 – September 14, 1915	64th
Samuel J. Nicholls (Spartanburg)	Democratic	September 14, 1915 – March 3, 1921	64th 65th 66th	Elected to finish Johnson's term. [data unknown/missing]
John J. McSwain (Greenville)	Democratic	March 4, 1921 – August 6, 1936	67th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd 74th	[data unknown/missing] Died.
					1933–1943 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		August 6, 1936 – November 3, 1936	74th
Gabriel H. Mahon Jr. (Greenville)	Democratic	November 3, 1936 – January 3, 1939	74th 75th	Elected to finish McSwain's term. [data unknown/missing]
Joseph R. Bryson (Greenville)	Democratic	January 3, 1939 – March 10, 1953	76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd	[data unknown/missing] Died.
					1943–1953 [data unknown/missing]
					1953–1963 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		March 10, 1953 – June 2, 1953	83rd
Robert T. Ashmore (Greenville)	Democratic	June 2, 1953 – January 3, 1969	83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 90th	Elected to finish Bryson's term. [data unknown/missing]
					1963–1973 [data unknown/missing]
James R. Mann (Greenville)	Democratic	January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1979	91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th	Elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Retired.
					1973–1983 [data unknown/missing]
Carroll A. Campbell Jr. (Fountain Inn)	Republican	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1987	96th 97th 98th 99th	Elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Retired to run for Governor of S.C.
					1983–1993 [data unknown/missing]
Liz J. Patterson (Spartanburg)	Democratic	January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1993	100th 101st 102nd	Elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Lost re-election.
Bob Inglis (Greenville)	Republican	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1999	103rd 104th 105th	Elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Retired to run for U.S. senator.	1993–2003 [data unknown/missing]
Jim DeMint (Greenville)	Republican	January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2005	106th 107th 108th	Elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
					2003–2013
Bob Inglis (Travelers Rest)	Republican	January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2011	109th 110th 111th	Elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Lost renomination.
Trey Gowdy (Spartanburg)	Republican	January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019	112th 113th 114th 115th	Elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Retired.
					2013–present
William Timmons (Greenville)	Republican	January 3, 2019 – Present	116th	Elected in 2018.

See also

• South Carolina's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

References

1. "SC4 District 4 Profile" (PDF). US Census. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
2. https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=45&cd=04
3. "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.

• 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