From December 28, 1846, to March 3, 1847, the new state of

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

was represented in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

by two representatives who had been elected on a statewide basis, rather than by districts. This unusual situation enabled Iowa to be represented in the

Twenty-ninth United States Congress The 29th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1845 ...

from the date that it joined the Union (and before the First

Iowa General Assembly The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of ...

took office, apportioned the state into two geographic districts, and the voters in those districts elected their representatives).Louis B. Schmidt, "History of Congressional Elections of Iowa," ''Iowa Journal of History and Politics'' 10, pp. 463, 485-500 (Oct. 1912). The two at-large representatives,

Shepherd Leffler Shepherd Leffler (April 24, 1811 – September 7, 1879) was one of the two original U.S. Representatives to represent Iowa when the state was first admitted to the Union. Elected as a Democrat in 1846, Leffler went on to represent Iowa's 2nd co ...

and

Serranus Clinton Hastings Serranus Clinton Hastings (November 22, 1814 – February 18, 1893) was an American politician, rancher and lawyer in California. He studied law as a young man and moved to the Iowa District in 1837 to open a law office. Iowa became a territory ...

, had been elected in 1846, in anticipation of statehood. This temporary solution ended in 1847. By the time that the

Thirtieth United States Congress The 30th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1847, ...

was sworn in (in December 1847), the General Assembly had divided the state's counties into two districts, which in August 1847 had elected their own representatives, William Thompson in Iowa's 1st congressional district and Leffler in

Iowa's 2nd congressional district Iowa's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers most of its southeastern part. It includes Davenport, Iowa City, Muscatine, Clinton, Burlington, Ottumwa, Fort Madison, Oskaloosa, Bettend ...

. Before statehood,

Iowa Territory The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remain ...

had a single delegate to the U.S. House, who was also elected on an at-large basis.

List of members of the House from the district

References

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Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
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At-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

Former congressional districts of the United States At-large United States congressional districts

List of members of the House from the district

See also

References