Tennessee's 1st congressional district is the congressional district for northeast

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, including all of Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins,

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, Sullivan, Unicoi, Washington, and Sevier counties, as well as parts of Jefferson County. It is largely coextensive with the Tennessee portion of the Tri-Cities region of northeast Tennessee and southwest

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. With a

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rating of R+29, it is the most Republican district in Tennessee and the third most Republican in the country. Cities and towns represented within the district include Blountville,

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, Church Hill, Elizabethton, Erwin, Gatlinburg, Greeneville, Johnson City, Jonesborough, Kingsport, Morristown, Mountain City, Newport,

Pigeon Forge Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,343 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Situated north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge is a tourist destinatio ...

, Roan Mountain, Rogersville, Sneedville, Sevierville, and

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. The 1st district's seat in the

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has been held by Republicans since 1881. The district was created in 1805 when the was divided into multiple districts. The district's current representative is Republican

Diana Harshbarger Diana Lynn Harshbarger ( ; born January 1, 1960) is an American pharmacist, businesswoman, and politician. Harshbarger has served as the U.S. representative for since 2021. Her district is based in the Tri-Cities area in northeastern Tennessee ...

, who was first elected in 2020 following the retirement of Republican Phil Roe.

Recent election results from statewide races

History

The 1st district has generally been a very secure voting district for the Republican Party since the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, and is one of only two ancestrally Republican districts in the state (the other being the neighboring 2nd district). Republicans (or their antecedents) have held the seat continuously since 1881 and for all but four years since 1859, while Democrats (or their antecedents) held the congressional seat for all but eight years from when Andrew Jackson was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1796 (as the state's single

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 tha ...

representative) up to the term of Albert Galiton Watkins, which ended in 1859.

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

, the seventeenth

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

, represented the district from 1843 to 1853. Like the rest of East Tennessee,

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

was not as common in this area as in the rest of the state due to its mountain terrain, which was dominated by small farms instead of plantations. The district was also the home of the first exclusively abolitionist periodicals in the nation, ''The Manumission Intelligencer'' and ''The Emancipator'', founded in Jonesborough by

Elihu Embree Elihu Embree (November 11, 1782 – December 4, 1820) was an abolitionist in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and publisher of ''Manumission Intelligencier'' (later renamed as ''The Emancipator''). Founded in 1819, it was the first newspaper in the United ...

in 1819. The 1st district was one of four districts in Tennessee whose congressmen did not resign when Tennessee seceded from the Union in 1861. Thomas Amos Rogers Nelson was reelected as a Unionist to the Thirty-seventh Congress, but he was arrested by Confederate troops while en route to

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and taken to Richmond. Nelson was paroled and returned home to Jonesborough, where he kept a low profile for the length of his term. Due to these factors, this area — except for "Little Confederacy" Sullivan County, with its deep ties to neighboring Virginia — supported the Union over the Confederacy in the Civil War, and identified with the Republican Party after Tennessee was readmitted to the Union in 1866, electing candidates representing the Union Party — a merger of Republicans and pro-Union Democrats — both before and after the war. This allegiance has continued through good times and bad ever since, with Republicans dominating every level of government. While a few Democratic pockets exist in the district's urban areas, they are not enough to sway the district. Since 1898, Democrats have only crossed the 40 percent barrier twice, in 1962 and 1976. The district's Republican bent is no less pronounced at the presidential level. It was one of the few areas of Tennessee where

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

did well in 1964. Johnson, Carter, Unicoi, Washington, Cocke, Sevier, and Hancock Counties are among the few counties in the country to have never supported a Democrat for president since the Civil War.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

turned in respectable showings in the district during his four runs for president, as did

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

in 1976. However, Carter is the last Democrat to carry any county in the district, and apart from Sullivan County, which, except in the Catholicism-dominated 1928 election, was consistently Democratic up to 1948, and Hamblen County in the 1976 election, no county in the present district has backed a Democrat for president since 1940. The district typically gives its congressmen very long tenures in Washington; indeed, it elected some of the few truly senior Southern Republican congressmen before the 1950s. Only nine people have represented it since 1921. Two of them, B. Carroll Reece and Jimmy Quillen, are the longest-serving members of the House in Tennessee history. Reece held the seat for all but six years from 1921 to 1961, while Quillen held it from 1963 to 1997.

Composition

For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties and communities: Carter County (8) : All 8 communities Cocke County (3) : All 3 communities Greene County (5) : All 5 communities Hamblen County (3) : All 3 communities Hancock County (1) : Sneedville Hawkins County (8) : All 8 communities Jefferson County (6) : Baneberry, Dandridge,

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

, Morristown (shared with Hamblen County), New Market, White Pine Johnson County (2) :

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

, Mountain City Sevier County (6) : All 6 communities Sullivan County (11) : All 11 communities Unicoi County (3) : All 3 communities Washington County (9) : All 9 communities

List of members representing the district

, - style="height:3em" , align=left , Brookins Campbell
, , Democratic , nowrap , March 4, 1853 –
December 25, 1853 , rowspan=3 , , Elected in 1853.
Died. , rowspan=5 , 1853–1861
} , - style="height:3em" , colspan=2 , ''Vacant'' , nowrap , December 25, 1853 –
March 30, 1854 , , - style="height:3em" , align=left , Taylor-nathaniel-green-by-shaver

Nathaniel G. Taylor
, , Whig , nowrap , March 30, 1854 –
March 3, 1855 , Elected to finish Campbell's term.
Lost re-election. , - style="height:3em" , align=left , Albert G. Watkins
, , Democratic , nowrap , March 4, 1855 –
March 3, 1859 , , Elected in 1855.
Re-elected in 1857.
Retired. , - style="height:3em" , align=left , Thomas Amos Rogers Nelson - Brady-Handy

Thomas A. R. Nelson
, , Opposition , nowrap , March 4, 1859 –
March 3, 1861 , , Elected in 1859.
Re-elected in 1861, but captured en route to Congress and failed to take his seat. , - style="height:3em" , colspan=2 , ''District inactive'' , nowrap , March 4, 1861 –
July 24, 1866 , , colspan=2 , ''

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

and

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

'' , - style="height:3em" , align=left , Taylor-nathaniel-green-by-shaver

Nathaniel G. Taylor
, , Union , nowrap , July 24, 1866 –
March 3, 1867 , , Elected in 1865.
Retired. , rowspan=2 , 1866–1873
, - style="height:3em" , rowspan=2 align=left , Roderick-randum-butler

Roderick R. Butler
, rowspan=2 , Republican , rowspan=2 nowrap , March 4, 1867 –
March 3, 1875 , rowspan=2 , , rowspan=2 , Elected in 1867.
Re-elected in 1868.
Re-elected in 1870.
Re-elected in 1872.
Lost re-election. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=5 , 1873–1883
, - style="height:3em" , align=left , William McFarland
, , Democratic , nowrap , March 4, 1875 –
March 3, 1877 , , Elected in 1874.
Lost re-election. , - style="height:3em" , align=left , James Henry Randolph - Brady-Handy

James H. Randolph
, , Republican , nowrap , March 4, 1877 –
March 3, 1879 , , Elected in 1876.
Retired. , - style="height:3em" , align=left , Taylor-robert-love-before-1912

Robert L. Taylor
, , Democratic , nowrap , March 4, 1879 –
March 3, 1881 , , Elected in 1878.
Lost re-election. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=2; align=left ,

Augustus H. Pettibone Augustus Herman Pettibone (January 21, 1835 – November 26, 1918) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the Tennessee's 1st congressional district, 1st congressional district of Tennessee. ...

, rowspan=2; , Republican , rowspan=2; nowrap , March 4, 1881 –
March 3, 1887 , rowspan=2 , , rowspan=2 , Elected in 1880.
Re-elected in 1882.
Re-elected in 1884.
Retired. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=3 , 1883–1893
, - style="height:3em" , align=left , Roderick-randum-butler

Roderick R. Butler
, , Republican , nowrap , March 4, 1887 –
March 3, 1889 , , Elected in 1886.
Retired. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=2; align=left , AlfredATaylor

Alfred A. Taylor
, rowspan=2; , Republican , rowspan=2; nowrap , March 4, 1889 –
March 3, 1895 , rowspan=2 , , rowspan=2 , Elected in 1888.
Re-elected in 1890.
Re-elected in 1892.
Retired. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=3 , 1893–1903
, - style="height:3em" , align=left , William C. Anderson
, , Republican , nowrap , March 4, 1895 –
March 3, 1897 , , Elected in 1894.
Lost renomination. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=2; align=left , Wpbrownlow

Walter P. Brownlow
, rowspan=2; , Republican , rowspan=2; nowrap , March 4, 1897 –
July 8, 1910 , rowspan=2 , , rowspan=2 , Elected in 1896.
Re-elected in 1898.
Re-elected in 1900.
Re-elected in 1902.
Re-elected in 1904.
Re-elected in 1906.
Re-elected in 1908.
Died. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=4 , 1903–1913
, - style="height:3em" , colspan=2 , ''Vacant'' , nowrap , July 8, 1910 –
November 8, 1910 , rowspan=2 , , , - style="height:3em" , align=left , Zachary D. Massey
, , Republican , nowrap , November 8, 1910 –
March 3, 1911 , Elected to finish Brownlow's term.
Retired. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=2 align=left , SamRSells

Sam R. Sells
, rowspan=2 , Republican , rowspan=2 nowrap , March 4, 1911 –
March 3, 1921 , rowspan=2 , , rowspan=2 , Elected in 1910.
Re-elected in 1912.
Re-elected in 1914.
Re-elected in 1916.
Re-elected in 1918.
Lost renomination. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=3 , 1913–1933
Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins,

, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties , - style="height:3em" , align=left ,

B. Carroll Reece
, , Republican , nowrap , March 4, 1921 –
March 3, 1931 , , Elected in 1920.
Re-elected in 1922.
Re-elected in 1924.
Re-elected in 1926.
Re-elected in 1928.
Lost renomination. , - style="height:3em" , align=left , Oscar B. Lovette
, , Republican , nowrap , March 4, 1931 –
March 3, 1933 , , Elected in 1930.
Lost renomination. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=2; align=left ,

B. Carroll Reece
, rowspan=2; , Republican , rowspan=2; nowrap , March 4, 1933 –
January 3, 1947 , rowspan=2 , , rowspan=2 , Elected in 1932.
Re-elected in 1934.
Re-elected in 1936.
Re-elected in 1938.
Re-elected in 1940.
Re-elected in 1942.
Re-elected in 1944.
Retired to serve as chairman of the Republican National Committee. , 1933–1943
, - style="height:3em" , rowspan=3 , 1943–1953
, - style="height:3em" , align=left ,

Dayton E. Phillips Dayton E. Phillips (March 29, 1910 – October 23, 1980) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the Tennessee's 1st congressional district, 1st congressional district of Tennessee. Biography Born ...

, , Republican , nowrap , January 3, 1947 –
January 3, 1951 , , Elected in 1946.
Re-elected in 1948.
Lost renomination. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=2; align=left ,

B. Carroll Reece
, rowspan=2; , Republican , rowspan=2; nowrap , January 3, 1951 –
March 19, 1961 , rowspan=2 , , rowspan=2 , Elected in 1950.
Re-elected in 1952.
Re-elected in 1954.
Re-elected in 1956.
Re-elected in 1958.
Re-elected in 1960.
Died. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=3 , 1953–1963
, - style="height:3em" , colspan= 2 , ''Vacant'' , nowrap , March 19, 1961 –
May 16, 1961 , rowspan=2 , , , - style="height:3em" , align=left , Louise G

Louise Reece
, , Republican , nowrap , May 16, 1961 –
January 3, 1963 , Elected to finish her husband's term.
Retired. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=4; align=left , JimmyQuillen

Jimmy Quillen
, rowspan=4; , Republican , rowspan=4; nowrap , January 3, 1963 –
January 3, 1997 , rowspan=4 , , rowspan=4 , Elected in 1962.
Re-elected in 1964.
Re-elected in 1966.
Re-elected in 1968.
Re-elected in 1970.
Re-elected in 1972.
Re-elected in 1974.
Re-elected in 1976.
Re-elected in 1978.
Re-elected in 1980.
Re-elected in 1982.
Re-elected in 1984.
Re-elected in 1986.
Re-elected in 1988.
Re-elected in 1990.
Re-elected in 1992.
Re-elected in 1994.
Retired. , 1963–1973
, - style="height:3em" , 1973–1983
, - style="height:3em" , 1983–1993
, - style="height:3em" , rowspan=2 , 1993–2003
, - style="height:3em" , rowspan=2; align=left ,

Bill Jenkins
, rowspan=2; , Republican , rowspan=2; nowrap , January 3, 1997 –
January 3, 2007 , rowspan=2 , , rowspan=2 , Elected in 1996.
Re-elected in 1998.
Re-elected in 2000.
Re-elected in 2002.
Re-elected in 2004.
Retired. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=3 , 2003–2013
TN01 109

, - style="height:3em" , align=left ,
David Davis
, , Republican , nowrap , January 3, 2007 –
January 3, 2009 , , Elected in 2006.
Lost renomination. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=2; align=left ,
Phil Roe
, rowspan=2; , Republican , rowspan=2; nowrap , January 3, 2009 –
January 3, 2021 , rowspan=2 , , rowspan=2 , Elected in 2008.
Re-elected in 2010.
Re-elected in 2012.
Re-elected in 2014.
Re-elected in 2016.
Re-elected in 2018.
Retired. , - style="height:3em" , rowspan=2 , 2013–2023
, - style="height:3em" , rowspan=2 align=left ,

, rowspan=2 , Republican , rowspan=2 , January 3, 2021 –
present , rowspan=2 , , rowspan=2 , Elected in 2020.
Re-elected in 2022.
Re-elected in 2024. , - style="height:3em" , 2023–present

Recent election results

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

Sources

Political Graveyard database of Tennessee congressmen

References

* *
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
{{coord, 36, 12, 45, N, 82, 48, 00, W, region:US_type:city_source:kolossus-eswiki, display=title 01 East Tennessee 1805 establishments in Tennessee