West Virginia's 1st congressional district

West Virginia's 1st congressional district is located in the northern part of the state. It is the most regularly drawn of the state's three districts.

West Virginia's 1st congressional district
West Virginia's 1st congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Representative
  David McKinley
R–Wheeling
Population (2010)615,991
Median income$47,450[1]
Ethnicity
Cook PVIR+19[2]

It includes the industrial Rust Belt area of the state's northern panhandle which includes the district's third largest city, Wheeling, as well as Fairmont, Clarksburg, and the college town of Morgantown, the home of the main campus of West Virginia University. The largest city in the district is Parkersburg; the second largest is Morgantown. It also includes many rural farm and timber producing areas. The district has almost no population change reported in the 2010 Census change relative to the other 2 districts, as growth around Morgantown and Parkersburg offset population loss elsewhere, and the district was carried over unchanged for the next ten-year cycle.

The district is currently represented by David McKinley, a Republican who has represented the district since 2011.

West Virginia has tended to give its congressmen very long tenures in Washington, and the 1st District is no exception. Only four men have represented the district since 1953: Bob Mollohan (D) (1953–1957), former Governor Arch Moore, Jr. (R) (1957–1969), Bob Mollohan again (1969–1983), Alan Mollohan (1983–2011) and McKinley.

Despite the lack of turnover in the congressional seat, historically the 1st was not safe for either party. The cities are ancestrally Democratic strongholds, while the rural areas are much more conservative and have a tendency to swing Republican more often. As late as 2014, state legislators were roughly split between both parties.

Historically, the district has been very Democratic, mirroring the state as a whole. However, West Virginia Democrats tend to be somewhat more socially conservative than their counterparts in the rest of the nation, and the district has been swept up in the growing Republican trend in the state at the national level. No Democrat since Bill Clinton (who did so by a plurality in a three-way race) has carried the 1st District in presidential elections. George W. Bush carried the district both times in 2000 with 54% of the vote and 2004 with 58% of the vote. John McCain carried the district in 2008 with 56.77% of the vote while Barack Obama received 41.51%.

History

The First District has always been anchored in Wheeling, and as such has always included Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, and Wetzel counties[3]–the five counties usually reckoned as the Northern Panhandle. The original 1863 districting included also Tyler, Pleasants, Doddridge, Harrison, Ritchie, Wood, Wirt, Gilmer, Calhoun and Lewis counties.[3] It was essentially the successor of Virginia's 11th congressional district.

In 1882, the counties of Tyler, Doddridge, Harrison, Gilmer, Lewis and Braxton were added to the core counties.[3] In 1902, the core counties were joined by Marion, Harrison, and Lewis counties.[3] In the 1916 redistricting it included only the five core counties and Marion and Taylor.[3] The district was unchanged in the 1934 and 1954 redistrictings.[3] In 1962, Braxton, Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Marion and Taylor joined the five core counties.[3] The 1972 redistricting added Tyler, Pleasants, and Woods and deleted Taylor.[3] The 1982 redistricting added Taylor back to the district.[3]

1992 began the district as currently constituted, consisting of Barbour, Brooke, Doddridge, Grant, Hancock, Harrison, Marion, Marshall, Mineral, Monongalia, Ohio, Pleasants, Preston, Ritchie, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Wetzel and Wood counties.[3] In 2002 Gilmer was added.[3] For the election cycle that begins in 2012 the district was unchanged.[3]

Recent presidential elections
Election results from presidential races
Year Office Results
2000 President Bush 54 - 43%
2004 President Bush 58 - 42%
2008 President McCain 57 - 42%
2012 President Romney 62 - 36%
2016 President Trump 68 - 26%


List of members representing the district
Member Party Years Cong
ress		 Electoral history
District created December 17, 1863

Jacob B. Blair		 Unconditional Unionist December 17, 1863 –
March 3, 1865		 38th [data unknown/missing]
Retired.

Chester D. Hubbard		 Unconditional Unionist March 4, 1865 –
March 3, 1867		 39th
40th		 [data unknown/missing]
Lost re-election.
Republican March 4, 1867 –
March 3, 1869

Isaac H. Duval		 Republican March 4, 1869 –
March 3, 1871		 41st [data unknown/missing]
Retired.

John J. Davis		 Democratic March 4, 1871 –
March 3, 1875		 42nd
43rd		 [data unknown/missing]
Retired.

Benjamin Wilson		 Democratic March 4, 1875 –
March 3, 1883		 44th
45th
46th
47th		 [data unknown/missing]
Lost re-election.

Nathan Goff Jr.		 Republican March 4, 1883 –
March 3, 1889		 48th
49th
50th		 [data unknown/missing]
Retired.
John O. Pendleton Democratic March 4, 1889 –
February 26, 1890		 51st Lost contested election

George W. Atkinson		 Republican February 26, 1890 –
March 3, 1891		 51st [data unknown/missing]
Retired.
John O. Pendleton Democratic March 4, 1891 –
March 3, 1895		 52nd
53rd		 [data unknown/missing]
Lost renomination.

Blackburn B. Dovener		 Republican March 4, 1895 –
March 3, 1907		 54th
55th
56th
57th
58th
59th		 [data unknown/missing]
Lost renomination.
William P. Hubbard Republican March 4, 1907 –
March 3, 1911		 60th
61st		 [data unknown/missing]
Retired.

John W. Davis		 Democratic March 4, 1911 –
August 29, 1913		 62nd
63rd		 [data unknown/missing]
Resigned to become U.S. Solicitor General
Vacant August 29, 1913 –
October 14, 1913

Matthew M. Neely		 Democratic October 14, 1913 –
March 3, 1921		 63rd
64th
65th
66th		 [data unknown/missing]
Lost re-election.

Benjamin L. Rosenbloom		 Republican March 4, 1921 –
March 3, 1925		 67th
68th		 [data unknown/missing]
Retired to run for U.S. senator.

Carl G. Bachmann		 Republican March 4, 1925 –
March 3, 1933		 69th
70th
71st
72nd		 [data unknown/missing]
Lost re-election.

Robert L. Ramsay		 Democratic March 4, 1933 –
January 3, 1939		 73rd
74th
75th		 [data unknown/missing]
Lost re-election.
A. C. Schiffler Republican January 3, 1939 –
January 3, 1941		 76th [data unknown/missing]
Lost re-election.

Robert L. Ramsay		 Democratic January 3, 1941 –
January 3, 1943		 77th [data unknown/missing]
Lost re-election.
A. C. Schiffler Republican January 3, 1943 –
January 3, 1945		 78th [data unknown/missing]
Lost re-election.

Matthew M. Neely		 Democratic January 3, 1945 –
January 3, 1947		 79th [data unknown/missing]
Lost re-election.
Francis J. Love Republican January 3, 1947 –
January 3, 1949		 80th [data unknown/missing]
Lost re-election.

Robert L. Ramsay		 Democratic January 3, 1949 –
January 3, 1953		 81st
82nd		 [data unknown/missing]
Lost renomination.

Bob Mollohan		 Democratic January 3, 1953 –
January 3, 1957		 83rd
84th		 [data unknown/missing]
Retired to run for Governor of West Virginia

Arch A. Moore Jr.		 Republican January 3, 1957 –
January 3, 1969		 85th
86th
87th
88th
89th
90th		 [data unknown/missing]
Retired to run for Governor of West Virginia

Bob Mollohan		 Democratic January 3, 1969 –
January 3, 1983		 91st
92nd
93rd
94th
95th
96th
97th		 [data unknown/missing]
Retired.

Alan Mollohan		 Democratic January 3, 1983 –
January 3, 2011		 98th
99th
100th
101st
102nd
103rd
104th
105th
106th
107th
108th
109th
110th
111th		 [data unknown/missing]
Lost renomination.

David McKinley		 Republican January 3, 2011 –
Present		 112th
113th
114th
115th
116th		 Elected in 2010.

Historical district boundaries
2003 - 2013

See also

References
  1. https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=54&cd=01
  2. "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  3. West Virginia Blue Book, pp. 534 (2012 edition)

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