Iowa's 11th congressional district
Encyclopedia
Iowa's 11th congressional district existed from 1883 to 1933, when Iowa
sent eleven congressmen to the United States House of Representatives
. The district covered northwestern Iowa.
, Palo Alto, Pocahontas
, Calhoun
, Greene
, Carroll
, Sac
, Buena Vista
, Clay
, Dickinson
, Osceola
, O'Brien
, Cherokee
, Ida
, Monona
, Woodbury
, Plymouth
, Sioux
, and Lyon
counties. Reapportionment in 1886 reflected the increasing population balance between eastern and western Iowa, causing the district's size to shrink and resulting in a westward shift of its eastern boundary. No new counties were added, and Emmet, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Calhoun, Greene, and Carroll counties were moved to the 10th district
. After 1886, the boundaries of the district never changed; the Iowa General Assembly
refused to reapportion its districts until the loss of two seats following the 1930 census left the State with no other choice.
, and included counties such as Lyon that were among the last in Iowa to settle. However, by 1895 the District had the second-largest population of any of Iowa's congressional districts, behind only the similarly oversized Tenth District
. By 1890, the continued disproportionate increase in the population of the Tenth and Eleventh Districts caused some to predict that the General Assembly would need to reduce the area of each district, but no such change occurred. Meanwhile, between 1900 and 1920, the population of Sioux City more than doubled, exacerbating the problem of underrepresentation. By 1921, the Eleventh District was the most populous Iowa district, with 130,000 more residents than the First District, and over 80,000 more than the population of an ideally-sized Iowa congressional district.
. The exception, Democrat Thomas J. Steele
, was elected in 1914, when he upset George Cromwell Scott
(who had barely campaigned that year). Scott recaptured his former seat from Steele at the first opportunity (two years later).
kept it in Democratic hands. Ten years later, when the 1940 census caused Iowa to lose another seat, the new 8th district included all of the old 11th district's counties, minus Monona County, which was Democratic-leaning in the 1930s. Republican Charles B. Hoeven
won every election in the new 8th district (and one further election after a round of reapportionment in 1961 combined the 8th district and six more rural counties to form a new sixth district
). Except for two Democrats who first won election in landslide years nationally for Democrats (Stanley L. Greigg
in 1964 and Berkley Bedell
in 1974), Republican congressmen have consistently represented most counties from the old 11th district since 1941.
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
sent eleven congressmen 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...
. The district covered northwestern Iowa.
Makeup
The district was created in 1881 (effective 1883) from a subset of the counties in the old 9th district. From 1883 to 1886, the district included EmmetEmmet County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 10,302 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,758 housing units, of which 4,236 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Palo Alto, Pocahontas
Pocahontas County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 7,310 in the county, with a population density of . There were 3,794 housing units, of which 3,233 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Calhoun
Calhoun County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 14,867 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,108 housing units, of which 4,242 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Greene
Greene County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,336 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,546 housing units, of which 3,996 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Carroll
Carroll County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 20,816 in the county, with a population density of . There were 9,376 housing units, of which 8,683 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Sac
Sac County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 10,350 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,429 housing units, of which 4,482 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Buena Vista
Buena Vista County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 20,260 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,237 housing units, of which 7,522 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Clay
Clay County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,667 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,062 housing units, of which 7,282 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Dickinson
Dickinson County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,667 in the county, with a population density of . There were 12,849 housing units, of which 7,554 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Osceola
Osceola County, Iowa
Osceola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is named for Seminole war chief Osceola. The population was 6,462 in the 2010 census, a decline from 7,003 in the 2000 census. The county seat is Sibley, named for H. H. Sibley of Minnesota....
, O'Brien
O'Brien County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 14,398 in the county, with a population density of . There were 6,649 housing units, of which 6,069 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Cherokee
Cherokee County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 12,072 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,777 housing units, of which 5,207 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Ida
Ida County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 7,089 in the county, with a population density of . There were 3,426 housing units, of which 3,052 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Monona
Monona County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,243 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,697 housing units, of which 4,050 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Woodbury
Woodbury County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 102,172 in the county, with a population density of . There were 41,454 housing units, of which 39,052 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Plymouth
Plymouth County, Iowa
Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 24,986 in the 2010 census, an increase from 24,849 in the 2000 census. The county seat is Le Mars...
, Sioux
Sioux County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 33,704 in the county, with a population density of . There were 12,279 housing units, of which 11,584 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, and Lyon
Lyon County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 11,581 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,848 housing units, of which 4,442 were occupied.-2000 census:...
counties. Reapportionment in 1886 reflected the increasing population balance between eastern and western Iowa, causing the district's size to shrink and resulting in a westward shift of its eastern boundary. No new counties were added, and Emmet, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Calhoun, Greene, and Carroll counties were moved to the 10th district
Iowa's 10th congressional district
Iowa's 10th congressional district existed from 1883 to 1933, when Iowa sent eleven congressmen to the United States House of Representatives. The district, known as "The Big Tenth," covered large areas of north-central Iowa.-Makeup:...
. After 1886, the boundaries of the district never changed; the Iowa General Assembly
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 Representatives respectively...
refused to reapportion its districts until the loss of two seats following the 1930 census left the State with no other choice.
Demographics and underrepresentation
The district was predominantly rural, except for Sioux CitySioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
, and included counties such as Lyon that were among the last in Iowa to settle. However, by 1895 the District had the second-largest population of any of Iowa's congressional districts, behind only the similarly oversized Tenth District
Iowa's 10th congressional district
Iowa's 10th congressional district existed from 1883 to 1933, when Iowa sent eleven congressmen to the United States House of Representatives. The district, known as "The Big Tenth," covered large areas of north-central Iowa.-Makeup:...
. By 1890, the continued disproportionate increase in the population of the Tenth and Eleventh Districts caused some to predict that the General Assembly would need to reduce the area of each district, but no such change occurred. Meanwhile, between 1900 and 1920, the population of Sioux City more than doubled, exacerbating the problem of underrepresentation. By 1921, the Eleventh District was the most populous Iowa district, with 130,000 more residents than the First District, and over 80,000 more than the population of an ideally-sized Iowa congressional district.
Voting patterns
All but one congressman elected from this district was a member of the Republican PartyRepublican 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...
. The exception, Democrat Thomas J. Steele
Thomas J. Steele
Thomas Jefferson Steele was a one-term Democratic U.S. Representative from Iowa's 11th congressional district in northwestern Iowa...
, was elected in 1914, when he upset George Cromwell Scott
George Cromwell Scott
George Cromwell Scott was a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 11th congressional district for just over four years, and was a federal district court judge for over twenty-one years....
(who had barely campaigned that year). Scott recaptured his former seat from Steele at the first opportunity (two years later).
After dissolution
Under the nine-district plan adopted by the Iowa General Assembly in 1931, the boundaries of the old 11th district were preserved as the new 9th district. However, the new 9th district was no longer safe for Republicans, and Democrats Guy M. Gillette and Vincent F. HarringtonVincent F. Harrington
Vincent Francis Harrington was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Iowa. Harrington was commissioned in the United States Army Air Corps after the Pearl Harbor attack, resigned from Congress when President Franklin D...
kept it in Democratic hands. Ten years later, when the 1940 census caused Iowa to lose another seat, the new 8th district included all of the old 11th district's counties, minus Monona County, which was Democratic-leaning in the 1930s. Republican Charles B. Hoeven
Charles B. Hoeven
Charles Bernard Hoeven held elective office for forty consecutive years. He was elected or re-elected eleven times to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent districts in northern Iowa...
won every election in the new 8th district (and one further election after a round of reapportionment in 1961 combined the 8th district and six more rural counties to form a new sixth district
Iowa's 6th congressional district
Iowa's 6th congressional district is a former congressional district in Iowa. It existed from 1862 to 1992, when it was lost due to Iowa's declining population....
). Except for two Democrats who first won election in landslide years nationally for Democrats (Stanley L. Greigg
Stanley L. Greigg
Stanley Lloyd Greigg served one term as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from northwestern Iowa. He was elected to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Republican Charles B. Hoeven in 1964 but lost to Republican Wiley Mayne two years later in 1966...
in 1964 and Berkley Bedell
Berkley Bedell
Berkley Warren Bedell is a former U.S. Representative from Iowa. After starting a successful business in his youth, Berkley Fly Co., he ran for the United States Congress in 1972, but was defeated by incumbent Wiley Mayne...
in 1974), Republican congressmen have consistently represented most counties from the old 11th district since 1941.
List of representatives
| Representative | Party | Term | District Residence (County) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created | March 4, 1883 | |||
| Isaac S. Struble Isaac S. Struble Isaac S. Struble was a four-term Republican Representative of Iowa's 11th congressional district. Serving from 1883 to 1891, the Plymouth County resident was a noted congressional opponent of plural marriage in Utah.The member of a politically-active family, Isaac's six brothers included John T.... |
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, 1883 – March 3, 1891 | Plymouth Plymouth County, Iowa Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 24,986 in the 2010 census, an increase from 24,849 in the 2000 census. The county seat is Le Mars... |
|
| George D. Perkins George D. Perkins George Douglas Perkins was a longtime newspaper editor, Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 11th congressional district in northwestern Iowa, and unsuccessful candidate for his party's nomination as Governor of Iowa.... |
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, 1891 – March 3, 1899 | Woodbury Woodbury County, Iowa -2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 102,172 in the county, with a population density of . There were 41,454 housing units, of which 39,052 were occupied.-2000 census:... |
|
| Lot Thomas Lot Thomas Lot Thomas was a state-court judge who also served three terms as a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's now-obsolete 11th congressional district, in northwestern Iowa.... |
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, 1891 – March 3, 1905 | Buena Vista Buena Vista County, Iowa -2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 20,260 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,237 housing units, of which 7,522 were occupied.-2000 census:... |
|
| Elbert H. Hubbard Elbert H. Hubbard Elbert Hamilton Hubbard , a second-generation congressman, was a four-term Republican U.S. Representative from the now-obsolete 11th congressional district in northwestern Iowa.... |
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, 1905 – June 4, 1912 | Woodbury Woodbury County, Iowa -2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 102,172 in the county, with a population density of . There were 41,454 housing units, of which 39,052 were occupied.-2000 census:... |
Died |
| Vacant | June 4, 1912 - November 5, 1912 | |||
| George Cromwell Scott George Cromwell Scott George Cromwell Scott was a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 11th congressional district for just over four years, and was a federal district court judge for over twenty-one years.... |
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... |
November 5, 1912 – March 3, 1915 | Woodbury Woodbury County, Iowa -2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 102,172 in the county, with a population density of . There were 41,454 housing units, of which 39,052 were occupied.-2000 census:... |
|
| Thomas J. Steele Thomas J. Steele Thomas Jefferson Steele was a one-term Democratic U.S. Representative from Iowa's 11th congressional district in northwestern Iowa... |
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, 1915 – March 3, 1917 | Woodbury Woodbury County, Iowa -2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 102,172 in the county, with a population density of . There were 41,454 housing units, of which 39,052 were occupied.-2000 census:... |
|
| George Cromwell Scott George Cromwell Scott George Cromwell Scott was a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 11th congressional district for just over four years, and was a federal district court judge for over twenty-one years.... |
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, 1917 – March 3, 1919 | Woodbury Woodbury County, Iowa -2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 102,172 in the county, with a population density of . There were 41,454 housing units, of which 39,052 were occupied.-2000 census:... |
|
| William D. Boies William D. Boies William Dayton Boies was a lawyer, trial-court judge, and five-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 11th congressional district in northwestern Iowa.... |
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, 1919 – March 3, 1929 | O'Brien O'Brien County, Iowa -2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 14,398 in the county, with a population density of . There were 6,649 housing units, of which 6,069 were occupied.-2000 census:... |
|
| Ed H. Campbell Ed H. Campbell Ed Hoyt Campbell was the last U.S. Representative from Iowa's 11th congressional district. When Iowa lost two seats in Congress due to the 1930 census, Campbell's district was renumbered but its boundaries were left intact... |
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, 1929 – March 3, 1933 | Ida Ida County, Iowa -2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 7,089 in the county, with a population density of . There were 3,426 housing units, of which 3,052 were occupied.-2000 census:... |
|
| District eliminated | March 4, 1933 | |||