Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district has been a relatively safe seat for the Republicans since 1933. In 2014, the long-time Republican incumbent, former businessman Bill Shuster, won 52.8% of the vote in a three-way Republican primary race over retired Coast Guard search and rescue pilot Art Halvorson (34.5%) and livestock farmer Travis Schooley (12.7%). In the 2012 general election, he beat his Democratic opponent, nurse Karen Ramsburg, taking 62% of the vote. In 2010, he won 73% of the vote, and in 2008 won 64%. Shuster was first elected to the district in 2001, effectively inheriting the seat from his father, Bud Shuster, who had held the seat since 1973.

According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, in 2010 the 9th was the most Republican district in Pennsylvania (and the Industrial Midwest), then with a score of R +17. Redistricting slightly increased the number of Democrats in the district, with the addition of majority-Democratic Fayette County as well as some of the Democratic portions of Washington, Greene, Cambria and Westmoreland Counties.

Presidential Voting Results

Representatives

1795–1823: One seat

The district was created in 1795 from Pennsylvania's At-large congressional district.

Representative	Party	Years	District home	Note
Andrew Gregg	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1803	Bellefonte	Redistricted from the At-large district; Redistricted to the 5th district
John Smilie	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1803 – December 30, 1812		Redistricted from the 11th district; Died
Vacant		December 30, 1812 – March 3, 1813
David Bard	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1813 – March 12, 1815	Alexandria	Redistricted from the 4th district; Died
Vacant		March 12, 1815 – October 10, 1815
Thomas Burnside	Democratic-Republican	October 10, 1815 – April 1816	Milroy	Appointed president judge of Luzerne District Courts
Vacant		April, 1816 – October 8, 1816
William Plunkett Maclay	Democratic-Republican	October 8, 1816 – March 3, 1821	Milroy	Retired
John Brown	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823		Redistricted to the 12th district

1823–1833: Three seats

Seat A

Seat B

Representative	Party	Years	District home	Note
Samuel McKean	Jackson Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825
	Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829
Philander Stephens	Jacksonian	March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1833

Seat C

1833 – Present: One seat

Representative	Party	Years	District home	Note
Henry A. P. Muhlenberg	Jacksonian	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837	Reading	Redistricted from 7th District
	Democrat	March 4, 1837 – February 8, 1838		Resigned after being appointed as United States Minister to the Austrian Empire
Vacant		February 8, 1838 – March 17, 1838
George M. Keim	Democrat	March 17, 1838 – March 3, 1843	Reading
John Ritter	Democrat	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847	Reading	Not a candidate for renomination
William Strong	Democrat	March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1851	Reading	Did not seek reelection
J. Glancy Jones	Democrat	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	Reading	Did not seek reelection
Isaac E. Hiester	Whig	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	Lancaster	Unsuccessful candidate for reelection
Anthony Ellmaker Roberts	Opposition	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857	Lancaster
	Republican	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859		Not a candidate for re-nomination
Thaddeus Stevens	Republican	March 4, 1859 – August 11, 1868	Lancaster	Died
Vacant		August 11, 1868 – December 7, 1868
Oliver James Dickey	Republican	December 7, 1868 – March 3, 1873	Lancaster	Not a candidate for re-nomination
A. Herr Smith	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1885	Lancaster	Unsuccessful candidate for re-nomination
John A. Hiestand	Republican	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889	Lancaster	Unsuccessful for re-nomination
David B. Brunner	Democrat	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1893	Reading	Not a candidate for re-nomination
Constantine J. Erdman	Democrat	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1897	Allentown	Not a candidate for re-election
Daniel Ermentrout	Democrat	March 4, 1897 – September 17, 1899	Reading	Died
Vacant		September 17, 1899 – November 7, 1899
Henry D. Green	Democrat	November 7, 1899 – March 3, 1903	Reading	Not a candidate for re-nomination
Henry B. Cassel	Republican	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1909	Marietta	Redistricted from 10th District
William W. Griest	Republican	March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1923	Lancaster	Redistricted to 10th District
Henry Winfield Watson	Republican	March 4, 1923 – August 27, 1933	Langhorne	Redistricted from 8th District, Died
Vacant		August 27, 1933 – November 7, 1933
Oliver W. Frey	Democrat	November 7, 1933 – January 3, 1939	Allentown	Unsuccessful candidate for reelection
Charles L. Gerlach	Republican	January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1945	Allentown	Redistricted to 8th District
J. Roland Kinzer	Republican	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947	Lancaster	Redistricted from 10th District, Not a candidate for re-nomination
Paul B. Dague	Republican	January 3, 1947 – December 30, 1966	Downingtown	Resigned
Vacant		December 30, 1966 – January 3, 1967
G. Robert Watkins	Republican	January 3, 1967 – August 7, 1970	West Chester	Redistricted from 7th District, Died
Vacant		August 7, 1970 – November 3, 1970
John H. Ware, III	Republican	November 3, 1970 – January 3, 1973	Oxford	Redistricted to 5th District
Bud Shuster	Republican	January 3, 1973 – February 3, 2001	Everett	Resigned
Vacant		February 4, 2001 – May 15, 2001
Bill Shuster	Republican	May 15, 2001 – present	Hollidaysburg	Incumbent

District boundaries

Pennsylvania's congressional districts, 113th Congress

See also

• List of United States congressional districts
• Pennsylvania's congressional districts

References

• 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

External links

• Congressional redistricting in Pennsylvania

Coordinates: 40°08′30″N 78°40′25″W / 40.14167°N 78.67361°W / 40.14167; -78.67361