Michigan's 2nd congressional district

Michigan's 2nd congressional district
Current Representative		Bill Huizenga (R–Zeeland)
Distribution	56.20% urban, 43.80% rural
Population (2000)	662,653
Median income	$42,589
Ethnicity	89.9% White, 4.5% Black, 1.0% Asian, 5.2% Hispanic, 0.7% Native American, 0.2% other
Cook PVI	R+7

The 2nd district boundaries for the 106th Congress, prior to redistricting in 2002

Michigan's 2nd congressional district is a United States Congressional district in Western Michigan. It consists of the counties of Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, Mason, Lake, Oceana, Newaygo, Muskegon, Ottawa, and the northern portion of Allegan and the northwest portion of Kent. The 2nd district has the largest concentration of Dutch-Americans of any congressional district in the country ^[1]. The district has a Cook PVI of R+7, making it the most Republican district in the state of Michigan. John McCain won the district in 2008 with 51% of the vote, his best performance in any of Michigan's 15 congressional districts^[2]. Rep. Hoekstra announced he would not seek re-election to Congress in 2010. Republican Bill Huizenga replaced Hoekstra after winning the 2010 General Election.

Major cities

• Cadillac
• Fremont
• Grand Haven
• Holland
• Jenison
• Ludington
• Muskegon
• Muskegon Heights
• Norton Shores
• Hudsonville

List of representatives

Representative	Party	Years	Congress	Notes
District created		March 4, 1843
Lucius Lyon	Democrat	March 4, 1843 - March 4, 1845	28th
John Smith Chipman	Democrat	March 4, 1845 - March 4, 1847	29th
Edward Bradley[3]	Democrat	March 4, 1847 - August 5, 1847	30th	Died
Vacant		August 5, 1847 – December 6, 1847	30th
Charles E. Stuart[3]	Democrat	December 6, 1847 - March 4, 1849	30th
William Sprague	Whig [4]	March 4, 1849 - March 4, 1851	31st
Charles E. Stuart	Democrat	March 4, 1851 - March 4, 1853	32nd
David A. Noble	Democrat	March 4, 1853 - March 4, 1855	33rd
Henry Waldron	Republican	March 4, 1855 - March 4, 1861	34th-36th
Fernando C. Beaman	Republican	March 4, 1861 - March 4, 1863	37th	Redistricted to the 1st district
Charles Upson	Republican	March 4, 1863 - March 4, 1869	38th-40th
William L. Stoughton	Republican	March 4, 1869 - March 4, 1873	41st-42nd
Henry Waldron	Republican	March 4, 1873 - March 4, 1877	43rd-44th	Redistricted from the 1st district
Edwin Willits	Republican	March 4, 1877 - March 4, 1883	45th-47th
Nathaniel B. Eldredge	Democrat [5]	March 4, 1883 - March 4, 1887	48th-49th
Edward P. Allen	Republican	March 4, 1887 - March 4, 1891	40th-51st
James S. Gorman	Democrat	March 4, 1891 - March 4, 1895	52nd-53rd
George Spalding	Republican	March 4, 1895 - March 4, 1899	54th-55th
Henry C. Smith	Republican	March 4, 1899 - March 4, 1903	56th-57th
Charles E. Townsend	Republican	March 4, 1903 - March 4, 1911	58th-61st
William Wedemeyer	Republican	March 4, 1911 - January 2, 1913	62nd	Died
Vacant		January 2, 1913 – March 4, 1913	62nd
Samuel Beakes	Democrat	March 4, 1913 - March 4, 1917	63rd-64th
Mark R. Bacon[6]	Republican	March 4, 1917 - December 13, 1917	65th	Lost contested election
Samuel Beakes	Democrat	December 13, 1917 - March 4, 1919	65th	Won contested election
Earl C. Michener	Republican	March 4, 1919 - March 4, 1933	66th-72nd
John C. Lehr	Democrat	March 4, 1933 - January 3, 1935	73rd
Earl C. Michener	Republican	January 3, 1935 - January 3, 1951	74th-81st
George Meader	Republican	January 3, 1951 - January 3, 1965	82nd-88th
Weston E. Vivian	Democrat	January 3, 1965 - January 3, 1967	89th
Marvin L. Esch	Republican	January 3, 1967 - January 3, 1977	90th-94th
Carl D. Pursell	Republican	January 3, 1977 - January 3, 1993	95th-102nd
Peter Hoekstra	Republican	January 3, 1993 - January 3, 2011	103rd-111th
Bill Huizenga	Republican	January 3, 2011 - Present	112th-	Incumbent

Notes

1. ^ http://hoekstra.house.gov/District/
2. ^ http://www.swingstateproject.com/diary/4161/presidential-results-by-congressional-district-20002008
3. ^ ^{a b} Edward Bradley was elected November 3, 1846, but died August 5, 1847 in New York City, while en route to Washington, D.C. to take office; Charles E. Stuart was elected November 2, 1847, to fill the vacancy.
4. ^ William Sprague was elected on a Free Soil Party ticket and was seated with the Whigs in Congress.
5. ^ Nathaniel B. Eldredge was elected on a Democratic and Union ticket in 1884 to the 49th Congress.
6. ^ : In the election of November 7, 1916, official returns showed Mark R. Bacon had won by 49 votes. Although there was no provision in state law at that time for recounting ballots in the election of federal officials, a separate examination of votes in Jackson County revealed that Samuel W. Beakes was entitled to 87 more votes. However, the board of state canvassers and the Michigan Supreme Court refused to allow a recount. Finally, the U.S. House Committee on Elections decided to conduct a recount, which gave Beakes the victory by 132 votes. The committee unanimously reported resolutions to the full House stating that Bacon had not been elected to the seat and was not entitled to it, and that, in fact, Beakes was the elected representative of the district. The House seated Beakes on December 13, 1917.

References

• Govtrack.us for the 2nd District - Lists current Senators and representative, and map showing district outline
• The Political graveyard: U.S. Representatives from Michigan, 1807-2003
• U.S. Representatives 1837-2003, Michigan Manual 2003-2004
• 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