United States congressional delegations from Indiana

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Indiana's Delegation to the United States House of Representatives during the 110th and 111th Congresses
     Democratic incumbent     Republican incumbent

Since its statehood in 1816, the U.S. state of Indiana has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Each state elects two Senators statewide to serve for six years, and their elections are staggered to be held in two of every three even-numbered years—Indiana's Senate election years are to Classes I and III. Before the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, Senators were elected by the Indiana General Assembly. Members of the House of Representatives are elected to two-year terms, one from each of Indiana's nine congressional districts. Before becoming a state, the Indiana Territory elected delegates at-large and sent three to Congress, but the territorial delegates were restricted from voting on legislation.

The longest-serving of any of Indiana's Congressmen is Senator Richard Lugar,^[1] incumbent since 1977. The longest-serving House member is Lee H. Hamilton, who served from 1965 to 1999. There have been 342 people who have represented Indiana in Congress: 315 in the House, 27 in the Senate, and 17 in both houses, with an average term of seven years. Indiana has elected five women^[2] and three African Americans^[3] to Congress.

[edit] Key

[edit] United States Senate

Each state elects two Senators, and Indiana's come from classes I and III. Senators are elected by statewide popular vote every six years, though before the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913 Senators were chosen by the Indiana General Assembly. Recent class I Senate elections in Indiana were in 1992, 1998, 2004, and 2010; recent class III elections were in 1994, 2000, and 2006.

Of the forty-four men who have been Senators from Indiana, there have been three Democratic-Republicans, three Adams Republicans (including James Noble, who was both a Democratic-Republican and Adams Republican), two Whigs, one Unionist, twenty Democrats, and sixteen Republicans. Only 44 men have been Senators, though 46 terms have been served; David Turpie and William E. Jenner served nonconsecutive terms.

Indiana's current Senators are Republican Richard Lugar, first elected in 1976, and Democrat Evan Bayh, first elected in 1998. Although of different parties, both are popular in the state, having received 87% and 62% of the vote in their most recent elections, respectively.^[4][5]

James Noble, Indiana's first Senator

Richard Lugar, the longest-serving Senator from Indiana, incumbent since 1977

Thomas A. Hendricks, two-term Representative, one-term Senator, and President of the Senate (Vice President), as well as Governor of Indiana

Schuyler Colfax, Seven-term Representative and Speaker of the House and later President of the Senate (Vice President)

Dan Quayle, two-term representative, one-term Senator, and President of the Senate (Vice President)

Julia Carson, the fifth woman and second African American to represent Indiana in Congress

Mike Pence, incumbent Representative from the 6th district since 2001, Republican Conference Chair in the 111th Congress

[edit] United States House of Representatives

[edit] Delegates from Indiana Territory

Indiana Territory was formed on July 4, 1800, out of the Northwest Territory and consisted of present-day Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and parts of Michigan and Minnesota. Michigan Territory was split from the territory on June 30, 1805, and Illinois Territory followed on March 1, 1809, leaving Indiana Territory with its final borders except for a slight adjustment of its northern border when statehood was granted.^[6] On December 11, 1816, Indiana was admitted to the Union as a state. The territorial delegates were allowed to serve on committees, debate, and submit legislation, but were not permitted to vote on bills.

[edit] Delegates from the State of Indiana

Members of the House of Representatives are elected every two years by popular vote within a congressional district. Indiana has nine congressional districts—this number is reapportioned based on the state's population, determined every ten years by a census. Indiana had a maximum representation of 13 congressmen from 1873 to 1933. Since 2003 Indiana has had nine representatives, five Democratic and four Republican, which was reduced from ten after the 2000 census. This gives Indiana the fourteenth-largest delegation; during the period from 1853 to 1873 the state had the fifth-largest delegation. Recent House elections in Indiana were in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008.

The State of Indiana has been represented by 313 people in the House, including one who was previously a territorial delegate. Indiana's current House delegation includes Republicans Mark Souder, Steve Buyer, Dan Burton, and Mike Pence, and Democrats Pete Visclosky, Joe Donnelly, André Carson, Brad Ellsworth, and Baron Hill. All were reelected in 2008 with at least 55% of the vote.^[7]

[edit] References

General

• "U.S. Senators from Indiana". United States Senate. http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/one_item_and_teasers/indiana.htm. Retrieved on 2009-01-01. 
• "Members of Congress: Indiana". Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease. http://www.infoplease.com/biography/us/congress/in.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-01. 

Specific

[edit] External links

• United States House of Representatives
• United States Senate
• [1] Biographical Directory of the United States Congress