Texas District 7 of 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...

is a Congressional district that serves a small area of western Harris County

Harris County, Texas

As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...

. As of the 2000 census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, District 7 comprises 651,620 people.

One of the wealthiest districts in the state, District 7 includes several upscale areas of western Houston, wealthy enclaves of Houston, one incorporated suburb, large areas of unincorporated suburbs, and the heavily Democratic Neartown

Neartown Houston

Neartown is an area located in west-central Houston, Texas, United States and is one of the city's major cultural areas. Neartown is roughly bounded by U.S. Highway 59 to the south, Allen Parkway to the north, Bagby Street on the east, and Shepherd Drive to the west...

 area.

The district was one of the state's first to elect a Republican to office and is now one of the most Republican districts in Texas. It has not elected a Democrat to office since 1967, before districts of equal population were required. Republican John Culberson

John Culberson

John Abney Culberson is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party caucus...

 has represented the district since 2001.

Cities wholly in the district

• Bellaire
  Bellaire, Texas
  Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 15,642 and is completely surrounded by the cities of Houston and West University Place....
  
  
• Bunker Hill Village
  Bunker Hill Village, Texas
  Bunker Hill Village is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,654 at the 2000 census.The United States Postal Service uses "Houston" for all Bunker Hill Village addresses; "Bunker Hill Village" is not an acceptable city designation for mail addressed to places in Bunker...
  
  
• Hedwig Village
  Hedwig Village, Texas
  Hedwig Village is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census.The United States Postal Service uses "Houston" for all Hedwig Village addresses; "Hedwig Village" is not an acceptable city designation for mail addressed to places in Hedwig...
  
  
• Hilshire Village
  Hilshire Village, Texas
  Hilshire Village is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 720 at the 2000 census. The city is the smallest of the Memorial Villages in terms of area....
  
  
• Hunters Creek Village
  Hunters Creek Village, Texas
  Hunters Creek Village is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,374 at the 2000 census.The United States Postal Service uses "Houston" for all Hunters Creek Village addresses; "Hunters Creek Village" is not an acceptable city designation for mail addressed to places in...
  
  
• Jersey Village
  Jersey Village, Texas
  Jersey Village is a city in west central Harris County, Texas, United States, located at U.S. Highway 290, Farm to Market Road 529, and the Southern Pacific Railroad. The city is located in the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 7,254 in 2009, and 7620 in...
  
  
• Piney Point Village
  Piney Point Village, Texas
  Piney Point Village is a city in Harris County, Texas. The population was 3,380 at the 2000 census. Piney Point Village is also considered one of the wealthiest communities in the Greater Houston area.-History:...
  
  
• Southside Place
  Southside Place, Texas
  Southside Place is a city in west central Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,546 at the 2000 census.As of 2000, Southside Place is the 13th wealthiest location in Texas by per capita income....
  
  
• Spring Valley Village
• West University Place
  West University Place, Texas
  West University Place, often called West University or West U for short, is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and southwestern Harris County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the population of the city was 14,211...
  
  

History of Texas' seventh district

Texas received a seventh congressional district through reapportionment in 1881 as a result of population growth reflected in the 1880 Census and in 1883, Thomas P. Ochiltree

Thomas P. Ochiltree

Thomas Peck Ochiltree was a U.S. Representative from Texas.-Biography:Born in Nacogdoches, Texas, Ochiltree attended the public schools.Volunteered in 1854 as a private in Capt. John G...

, an Independent, was elected its first representative. From 1882-1902 the district was located in North Central Texas and was represented by Wacoan Robert L. Henry

Robert L. Henry

Robert Lee Henry was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas from 1897 to 1917 .-Early life:...

. After the redistricting of 1902, the district shifted eastward and was represented Congressmen from Palestine and Galveston. After 1952, the district again shifted to Waco.

The district was redrawn mid-decade in 1966 after the Supreme Court ruled in Wesberry v. Sanders

Wesberry v. Sanders

Wesberry v. Sanders, 376 U.S. 1 was a U.S. Supreme Court case involving U.S. Congressional districts in the state of Georgia. The Court issued its ruling on February 17, 1964. This decision requires each state to draw its U.S...

two years earlier that congressional district populations had to be equal or close to equal in population. As a result, Houston

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

, which had been located entirely in District 8, was divided into three districts, one of which was District 7. Prior to 1966, the district was represented by a Wacoan, John Dowdy. From 1885-1966, the seventh congressional district elected only Democratic representatives to Congress.

Since the district has been located in Houston, it has only elected Republican representatives, including former President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 George H.W. Bush.

Famous residents include former President George H. W. Bush.

List of representatives

Name	Took Office	Left Office	Party	District Residence	Notes
District created		March 4, 1883
Thomas P. Ochiltree Thomas P. Ochiltree Thomas Peck Ochiltree was a U.S. Representative from Texas.-Biography:Born in Nacogdoches, Texas, Ochiltree attended the public schools.Volunteered in 1854 as a private in Capt. John G...	March 4, 1883	March 3, 1885	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Galveston Galveston, Texas Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
William H. Crain William H. Crain William Henry Crain was a U.S. Representative from Texas.Born in Galveston, Texas, Crain attended the Christian Brothers' School, New York City, until the age of fourteen, and was graduated from St. Francis Xavier's College, New York City, in 1867. He returned to Texas and lived on a ranch for...	March 4, 1885	March 3, 1893	Democrat	Indianola Indianola, Texas Indianola is a ghost town located on Matagorda Bay in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. The community, once the county seat of Calhoun County, is a part of the Victoria, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1875, the city had a population of 5,000, but on September 15 of that year, a...	Redistricted Redistricting Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...  to the
George C. Pendleton George C. Pendleton George Cassety Pendleton was a Democratic politician who served as Texas State Representative and Speaker, Lieutenant Governor of Texas, and U.S. Representative from the 7th District of Texas....	March 4, 1893	March 3, 1897	Democrat	Temple Temple, Texas Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in the region referred to as Central Texas. Located off Interstate 35, Temple is 65 miles north of Austin and 34 miles south of Waco. In the 2010 Census, Temple's population was 66,102, an...
Robert L. Henry Robert L. Henry Robert Lee Henry was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas from 1897 to 1917 .-Early life:...	March 4, 1897	March 3, 1903	Democrat	Waco Waco, Texas Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....	Redistricted Redistricting Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...  to the
Alexander W. Gregg Alexander W. Gregg Alexander White Gregg was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives between 1903 and 1919.-Early life:...	March 4, 1903	March 3, 1919	Democrat	Palestine Palestine, Texas Palestine is a city in Anderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,598, and 18,458 in the 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Anderson County and is situated in East Texas...
Clay Stone Briggs Clay Stone Briggs Clay Stone Briggs was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1919 through his death in 1933.-Early life:...	March 4, 1919	April 29, 1933	Democrat	Galveston Galveston, Texas Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...	Died
Vacant		April 29, 1933 - June 24, 1933
Clark W. Thompson Clark W. Thompson Clark Wallace Thompson was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin on August 6, 1896 and moved to Oregon in 1901 with his parents, who settled in Cascade Locks. Thompson attended the common schools and the University of Oregon at Eugene. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps during the First World...	June 24, 1933	January 3, 1935	Democrat	Galveston Galveston, Texas Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
Nat Patton Nat Patton Nat Patton was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the 7th District of Texas from 1935 to 1945....	January 3, 1935	January 3, 1945	Democrat	Crockett Crockett, Texas Crockett is a city in Houston County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 7,141. It is the county seat of Houston County.- History :...
Tom Pickett Tom Pickett Thomas Augustus Pickett , was a United States Representative representing Texas's 7th congressional district. Born in Travis, Texas on August 14, 1906, Pickett attended the public schools of Palestine, Texas, and the University of Texas at Austin...	January 3, 1945	June 30, 1952	Democrat	Palestine Palestine, Texas Palestine is a city in Anderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,598, and 18,458 in the 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Anderson County and is situated in East Texas...	Resigned to become Vice President of the National Coal Association
Vacant		June 30, 1952 - September 23, 1952
John Dowdy John Dowdy John Vernard Dowdy was an American politician. Dowdy was a Democratic member of the House of Representatives from the 7th District of Texas from 1953 to 1967 and then served as a congressman from the 2nd District of Texas until 1973, when he decided to retire under indictment for bribery.According...	September 23, 1952	January 3, 1967	Democrat	Waco Waco, Texas Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....	Redistricted Redistricting Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...  to the
George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...	January 3, 1967	January 3, 1971	Republican	Houston Houston, Texas Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
Bill Archer William Reynolds Archer, Jr. William Reynolds “Bill” Archer, Jr. is a former American lawyer and politician. Archer served two terms, from 1967 to 1971, in the Texas House of Representatives — changing from the Democratic to the Republican party in 1969 — and later represented Texas in the United States House as a Republican...	January 3, 1971	January 3, 2001	Republican	Houston Houston, Texas Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
John Culberson John Culberson John Abney Culberson is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party caucus...	January 3, 2001	Present	Republican	Houston Houston, Texas Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...	Incumbent

Election results