Virginia's 19th congressional district explained

State:Virginia
District Number:19
Obsolete:yes
Created:1793
Eliminated:1843
Years:1793–1843
Population Year:1830

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.

Boundaries

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

RepresentativePartyTermCong
ress
Electoral history
District established March 4, 1793
John Heath
Anti-Administrationnowrap March 4, 1793 –
March 3, 1795
Elected in 1793.
Re-elected in 1795.
Retired.
Democratic-Republicannowrap March 4, 1795 –
March 3, 1797
align=left Walter Jones
Democratic-Republicannowrap March 4, 1797 –
March 3, 1799
Elected in 1797.
Lost re-election.
align=left
Henry Lee
Federalistnowrap March 4, 1799 –
March 3, 1801
Elected in 1799.
Retired.
align=left John Taliaferro
Democratic-Republicannowrap March 4, 1801 –
March 3, 1803
Elected in 1801.
Retired.
align=left Edwin GrayDemocratic-Republicannowrap March 4, 1803 –
March 3, 1813
Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1803.
Re-elected in 1805.
Re-elected in 1807.
Re-elected in 1809.
Re-elected in 1811.
Redistricted to the and lost re-election.
align=left
Peterson Goodwyn
Democratic-Republicannowrap March 4, 1813 –
February 21, 1818
Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1813.
Re-elected in 1815.
Re-elected in 1817.
Died.
Vacantnowrap February 21, 1818 –
April 21, 1818
align=left John Pegram
Democratic-Republicannowrap April 21, 1818 –
March 3, 1819
Elected to finish Goodwyn's term.
Retired.
align=left
James Jones
Democratic-Republicannowrap March 4, 1819 –
March 3, 1823
Elected in 1819.
Re-elected in 1821.
Retired.
William McCoy
Democratic-Republicannowrap March 4, 1823 –
March 3, 1825
Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1823.
Re-elected in 1825.
Re-elected in 1827.
Re-elected in 1829.
Re-elected in 1831.
Retired.
Jacksoniannowrap March 4, 1825 –
March 3, 1833

William McComas
Jacksoniannowrap March 4, 1833 –
March 3, 1835
Elected in 1833.
Re-elected in 1835.
Anti-Jacksoniannowrap March 4, 1835 –
March 3, 1837
align=left
Andrew Beirne
Democraticnowrap March 4, 1837 –
March 3, 1841
Elected in 1837.
Re-elected in 1839.
align=left
George W. Summers
Whignowrap March 4, 1841 –
March 3, 1843
Elected in 1841.
Redistricted to the .
District dissolved March 4, 1843

Election results

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.

References