Arkansas's 1st congressional district is a U.S. congressional district

Congressional district

A congressional district is “a geographical division of a state from which one member of the House of Representatives is elected.”Congressional Districts are made up of three main components, a representative, constituents, and the specific land area that both the representative and the...

 in northeastern Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

 that elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

. It encompasses the counties of Arkansas

Arkansas County, Arkansas

Arkansas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,019. The county has two county seats, De Witt and Stuttgart...

, Baxter

Baxter County, Arkansas

Baxter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is in the northern part of the state, and shares a border with Missouri. It is commonly referred to as the Twin Lakes Area because it is bordered by two of Arkansas' largest lakes, Bull Shoals Lake and Norfork Lake...

, Clay

Clay County, Arkansas

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 16,083. The county has two county seats, Corning and Piggott...

, Cleburne, Craighead

Craighead County, Arkansas

Craighead County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 96,443. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. Craighead County is Arkansas's 58th county, formed on February 19, 1859, and named for state Senator Thomas...

, Crittenden, Cross, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Lee, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe

Monroe County, Arkansas

Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population is 8,149. The county seat is Clarendon, while its largest city is Brinkley...

, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, Randolph, Saint Francis, Searcy, Sharp

Sharp County, Arkansas

-External links:*...

, Stone, and Woodruff.

It is currently represented by Republican Rick Crawford

Rick Crawford (politician)

Eric Alan Rick Crawford is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. Before he was elected to Congress, Crawford was a radio announcer, businessman and U.S. Army veteran.-Early life and education:...

.

Character

The Mississippi Delta has long been home to American industrial agriculture

Industrial agriculture

Industrial farming is a form of modern farming that refers to the industrialized production of livestock, poultry, fish, and crops. The methods of industrial agriculture are technoscientific, economic, and political...

, with cotton, rice and soybeans by far the biggest export from the region. The 1st District covers most of the Arkansas Delta

Arkansas Delta

The Arkansas Delta is one of the five natural regions of the state of Arkansas. It runs along the eastern border of the state next to the Mississippi River. It is part of the Mississippi River alluvial plain, itself part of the Mississippi embayment...

 area and stretches as far west to the Ozarks. The farming areas, despite their fertility, are generally poor by national standards, with unemployment and undereducation as some of the greatest problems. Rice farms are the amongst the greatest recipients of federal farming subsidization - and three of the top five subsidy farms in the United States are in the 1st District, receiving over $100 million since 1996. The district is also notable for its large population of ducks.

Some manufacturing has been sited in the region recently, with several auto parts factories being built in Marion

Marion, Arkansas

Marion is a city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 8,901 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Crittenden County, and is part of the Memphis metropolitan area...

 and Toyota considering it as the site for its seventh North American plant.

Jonesboro

Jonesboro, Arkansas

Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...

 is the largest town, home to a sizable food processing industry with companies such as Nestle and Frito-Lay sited here. Jonesboro is also home to Arkansas State University

Arkansas State University

Arkansas State University is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and third largest university by enrollment. It is located atop on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA...

 (ASU)-Jonesboro. While Jonesboro itself sports a Republican trend, along with some of the hill counties, it is balanced by the strong Democratic presence in the African American-dominated Mississippi River Delta. The result is a fairly closely divided vote in national politics. While Al Gore

Al Gore

Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....

 narrowly carried the district in 2000

United States presidential election, 2000

The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....

 with 50% of the vote, George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

 won the district in 2004

United States presidential election, 2004

The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...

. The district swung even more Republican in 2008

United States presidential election, 2008

The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...

, giving John McCain

John McCain

John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

 58.69% of the vote while Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 received 38.41% here.

List of representatives

The district was created in 1853 after the 1850 United States Census added a second seat to the state. The seat then was split between this district and the .

Representative	Party	Year	Notes
District created		March 4, 1853
Alfred B. Greenwood	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1859
Thomas C. Hindman	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861
Civil War American Civil War The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...  and Reconstruction
Logan H. Roots Logan Holt Roots Logan Holt Roots was a member of the US House of Representatives from Arkansas. He was born near Tamaroa, Illinois on March 26, 1841. He completed preparatory studies and was graduated from the Illinois State Normal University in 1862. Roots assisted in recruiting the Eighty-first Illinois...	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	June 22, 1868 – March 3, 1871
James M. Hanks	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873
Asa Hodges Asa Hodges Asa Hodges was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas.Born near Moulton in Lawrence County, Alabama, Hodges moved to Marion, Arkansas....	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875
Lucien C. Gause	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879
Poindexter Dunn Poindexter Dunn Poindexter Dunn was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas.Born near Raleigh, North Carolina, Dunn moved with his father to Limestone County, Alabama, in 1837....	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1889
William H. Cate	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	March 4, 1889 – March 5, 1890	Lost contested election
Lewis P. Featherstone	Labor	March 5, 1890 – March 3, 1891	Won contested election
William H. Cate	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893
Philip D. McCulloch, Jr. Philip D. McCulloch, Jr. Philip Doddridge McCulloch, Jr. was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas.Born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, McCulloch moved with his parents to Trenton, Tennessee, where he attended private schools and Andrew College. McCulloch studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1872, after which he began a...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1903
Robert B. Macon Robert B. Macon Robert Bruce Macon was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas.Born near Trenton, Arkansas, Macon was left an orphan at the age of nine.He attended the public schools and studied at home.He engaged in agricultural pursuits....	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1913
Thaddeus H. Caraway Thaddeus H. Caraway Thaddeus Horatius Caraway was a Democratic Party politician from Arkansas who represented the state first in the U.S. House of Representatives and then in the U.S. Senate ....	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1921
William J. Driver William J. Driver William Joshua Driver was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas.Born near Osceola, Arkansas, Driver attended the public schools.He studied law.He was admitted to the bar in 1894 and commenced practice in Osceola, Arkansas....	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	March 4, 1921 – January 3, 1939
Ezekiel C. Gathings Ezekiel C. Gathings Ezekiel Candler Gathings was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas.Born in Prairie, Mississippi, Gathings attended the public schools and the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. He was graduated from the law department of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1929...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1969
Bill Alexander, Jr.	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1993
Blanche Lincoln Blanche Lincoln Blanche Meyers Lambert Lincoln is a former U.S. Senator from Arkansas and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1998, she was the first woman elected to the Senate from Arkansas since Hattie Caraway in 1932 and, at age 38, was the youngest woman ever elected to the...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1997
Marion Berry	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2011
Rick Crawford Rick Crawford (politician) Eric Alan Rick Crawford is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. Before he was elected to Congress, Crawford was a radio announcer, businessman and U.S. Army veteran.-Early life and education:...	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	January 5, 2011 – Present	Incumbent Incumbent The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...