| State: | Alabama |
| District Number: | 8 |
| Obsolete: | yes |
| Created: | 1870 |
| Eliminated: | 1970 |
| Years: | 1873-1973 |
| Population: | 383,625 |
| Population Year: | 1960 |
Alabama's 8th congressional district, now obsolete, was established in 1877.
Alabama currently has seven congressional districts represented in the United States House of Representatives.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Alabama was apportioned eight congressional seats as a result of the 1880 census. In 1893-1913 there were nine seats, and in 1913-1933 there were ten seats, the maximum ever for Alabama. In 1970, Alabama lost its eighth seat when population growth slowed to qualify for only seven seats.
The 8th seat was elected at-large from the entire state until the 45th Congress, when an 8th district was established as a separate district in the northwestern part of the state.[1] The district occupied an area now held by Alabama's 5th congressional district, with the exception of a portion of Morgan County, which is part of the 4th district. Franklin County, which was part of the 8th district until after the 1890 census, is also part of the modern 4th district.
The district was eliminated in reapportionment at the end of the 92nd United States Congress in 1973. Robert E. Jones Jr. was the district's last representative.
The district was eliminated in the 1970 redistricting cycle after the 1970 United States census.
| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | Population / Counties | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created March 3, 1877 | ||||||||
| align=left | William W. Garth | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879 | Elected in 1876. Lost re-election. | 1877–1883: Population 130,173 Colbert, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan | ||
| align=left | William M. Lowe | Greenback | nowrap | March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881 | Elected in 1878. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Joseph Wheeler | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1881 – June 3, 1882 | Elected in 1880. Lost election contest. | |||
| align=left | William M. Lowe | Greenback | nowrap | June 3, 1882 – October 12, 1882 | Won election contest. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | October 12, 1882 – January 15, 1883 | ||||||
| align=left | Joseph Wheeler | Democratic | nowrap | January 15, 1883 – March 3, 1883 | Elected January 3, 1883 to finish Lowe's term and seated January 15, 1883. Had not been elected to the next term. | |||
| align=left | Luke Pryor | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885 | Elected in 1882. Retired. | 1883–1893: Population 168,502 Colbert, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan | ||
Joseph Wheeler | Democratic | March 4, 1885 – April 20, 1900 | Elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Resigned. | |||||
| 1893–1903: Population 176,088 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan | ||||||||
| Vacant | nowrap | April 20, 1900 – August 6, 1900 | ||||||
William N. Richardson | Democratic | August 6, 1900 – March 31, 1914 | Elected to finish Wheeler's term. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Died. | |||||
| 1903–1913: Population 194,491 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan | ||||||||
| 1913–1923: Population 218,342 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan | ||||||||
| Vacant | nowrap | March 31, 1914 – May 11, 1914 | ||||||
| align=left | Christopher C. Harris | Democratic | nowrap | May 11, 1914 – March 3, 1915 | Elected to finish Richardson's term. Retired. | |||
Edward B. Almon | Democratic | March 4, 1915 – June 22, 1933 | Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Died. | |||||
| 1923–1933: Population 254,529 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan | ||||||||
| 1923–1943: Population 282,241 Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan | ||||||||
|- style="height:3em"| align=left |
Archibald H. Carmichael
| | Democratic| nowrap | November 14, 1933 –
January 3, 1937| | Elected to finish Almon's term.
Re-elected in 1934.
Retired.
|- style="height:3em"| rowspan=2 align=left |
John Sparkman
| rowspan=2 | Democratic| rowspan=2 nowrap | January 3, 1937 –
November 5, 1946| rowspan=2 | | rowspan=2 | Elected in 1936.
Re-elected in 1938.
Re-elected in 1940.
Re-elected in 1942.
Re-elected in 1944.
Re-elected in 1946 but resigned when elected U.S. Senator.
|- style="height:3em"| rowspan=3 | 1943–1953:
Population 300,112
Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
|- style="height:3em"| colspan=2 | Vacant| nowrap | November 5, 1946 –
January 28, 1947|
|- style="height:3em"| rowspan=2 align=left |
Robert E. Jones Jr.
| rowspan=2 | Democratic| rowspan=2 nowrap | January 28, 1947 –
January 3, 1963| rowspan=2 | | rowspan=2 | Elected to finish Sparkman's term.
Re-elected in 1948.
Re-elected in 1950.
Re-elected in 1952.
Re-elected in 1954.
Re-elected in 1956.
Re-elected in 1958.
Re-elected in 1960.
Redistricted to the .
|- style="height:3em"| 1953–1963:
Population 321,459
Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
|- style="height:3em"| colspan=2 | District inactive| nowrap | January 3, 1963 –
January 3, 1965| | colspan=2 | All representatives elected .
|- style="height:3em"| align=left |
Robert E. Jones Jr.
| | Democratic| nowrap | January 3, 1965 –
January 3, 1973| | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1964.
Re-elected in 1966.
Re-elected in 1968.
Re-elected in 1970.
Redistricted to the .| 1965–1973:
Population 383,625
Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan
|- style="height:3em"| colspan=6 | District eliminated January 3, 1973
|}