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Missouri History

United States Representatives

Dewey Short 1928, 1934-54

Leonor K. Sullivan 1952-74

Alan Wheat 1982-94

Historical Note

The election of early Missouri delegates was by general statewide ticket.  In 1847, the state was divided into five congressional districts, from which representatives were elected. Elections in 1852 were held “at large” to allow for state redistricting.  In 1863, the districts were expanded to number nine, and ten years later in 1873, Missouri was redistricted to allow for thirteen congressional districts.  By acts approved in 1882 and 1885, Missouri was allowed one additional district, and in 1893, the congressional districts numbered fifteen.  Missouri was allowed sixteen districts in 1901; these were in place until 1932.  That year, the state was allotted thirteen representatives.  It was necessary to redistrict the state as evenly as possible, so all thirteen delegates were elected at large in 1932, during the legislative redistricting process.  The state has been redistricted several times over the last forty years, moving from eleven districts in the 1950s, to ten districts in the 1960s, to the current number of nine congressional districts in the 1980s.  Because of the various redistricting, it may be necessary to check the Revised Statutes of Missouri to determine which Missouri counties were represented by a district during a particular year.  Redistricting changes generally occur a couple of years after the federal census is taken.

¹ Sterling Price resigned, going to the Mexican War, and William McDaniel succeeded him in October 1846.
² Francis P. Blair resigned June 25, 1860. He ran successfully in August 1860 election, but resigned in July 1862 to become a colonel in the U.S. Army. He ran and won in August 1862, but the election was successfully contested by Samuel Knox.
³ In 1856, James S. Green resigned his seat and was elected to the U.S. Senate. John B. Clark won the special election for the vacated seat. In 1860, Clark was expelled, and William A. Hall was elected in his place.
⁴ John W. Reid was expelled, and Thomas L. Price was elected in his place.
⁵ John W. Noell died (March 14, 1863); John G. Scott took his seat in December 1863.
⁶ Thomas Noell died (October 3, 1867) and J.R. McCormick was elected in his place.
⁷ Joseph W. McClurg was elected governor of Missouri in November 1868 and resigned his congressional seat. John H. Stover was elected in his place.
⁸ Alfred M. Lay died in 1879, and John F. Philips was elected to fill the vacancy.
⁹Thomas Allen died April 8, 1882 and was succeeded by James H. McLean who served from served from December 15, 1882, to March 3, 1883.
¹⁰ James N. Burnes died (January 23, 1889); Charles F. Booher was elected to fill the unexpired term (until March 3, 1889). Robert P.C. Wilson was elected to fill the new term to which Burnes had been elected in 1888, beginning March 4, 1889.
¹¹James P. Walker died (July 18, 1890) and Robert Henry Whitelaw was elected to fill the vacancy from December 1890 to March 1891.
¹² Richard P. Bland died (June 15, 1899) and Dorsey W. Shackleford was elected to succeed him in August 1899.
¹³ David A. DeArmond died in a fire (November 23, 1909); Clement C. Dickinson was elected to succeed him at a special election in 1910.
¹⁴ Jacob E. Meeker died (October 16, 1918) and Frederick Essen was elected to fill the vacancy from November 1918 to March 3, 1919.
¹⁵Joshua W. Alexander resigned in 1919 to become U.S. Secretary of Commerce; Jacob L. Milligan won the special election in February 1920 to fill the seat.  Milligan was not re-elected in the regular 1920 election.
¹⁶ Harry B. Hawes resigned in 1926, having won a U.S. Senate seat; John J. Cochran was elected to fill the unexpired term; later won the full term.
¹⁷ Charles L. Faust died (December 17, 1928) and David Hopkins was elected to fill the unexpired term.
¹⁸ Samuel C. Major died (July 28, 1931) and Robert D. Johnston was elected to fill the vacancy.
¹⁹ Bill Emerson died (June 22, 1996). His widow, Jo Ann Emerson, was elected to his remaining term (until January 1997). The special election, in which Jo Ann Emerson ran as a Republican, was held at the same time as the November 1996 general election, in which Jo Ann Emerson ran as an independent (due to candidate filing laws), winning the seat.
²⁰ The Congressional election in 1830 was postponed until August 1831 by the General Assembly.  Spencer Pettis won, but a special election was held in October 1831, won by William H. Ashley, after Pettis was killed in a duel with Thomas Biddle.  The 1834 election was postponed by the General Assembly until the state could be divided into congressional districts.  The election took place in August 1835.
²¹ Elected in 1858, John R. Barret served from March 1859 to June 8, 1860.  Francis P. Blair successfully contested the 1858 election, but resigned the seat on June 25, 1860.  Barret ran for the unexpired term and filled the vacant seat until March 3, 1861.
²² There was a congressional election in 1833, the result of a legislative act providing for the election of an additional congressional representative to which Missouri was entitled; John Bull won the seat.
²³ The 1900 election was contested by William M. Horton and the seat, won by James J. Butler, declared vacant until a special election could be held.
²⁴ Richard Graham Frost’s 1880 re-election was successfully contested by Gustavus Sessinghaus, who only served two days of the term (March 2, 1883-March 3, 1883).
²⁵ Albert G. Harrison died in office (September 1839); John Jameson won the October 1839 special election to fill the vacant seat.
²⁶ Richard P. Giles died before officially taking office (November 17, 1896); James T. Lloyd won an 1897 special election to fill the vacant seat.
²⁷ George C.R. Wagoner successfully contested the 1902 election of James J. Butler and served February 26, 1903-March 3, 1903.
²⁸ E. Thomas Coleman was elected November 2, 1976, to complete the unexpired term of Jerry Litton, who died in a plane crash; Coleman was also elected to a full two-year term.
²⁹ Thomas P. Akers was elected in 1856 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John G. Miller.
³⁰ Ernest E. Wood’s election in 1904 was successfully contested by Harry M. Coudrey.  Wood served from March 4, 1905, to June 23, 1906 and Coudrey served June 23, 1906, to March 3, 1911.
³¹ L. C. Dyer’s 1912 election was successfully contested by Michael J. Gill.  Dyer served March 4, 1913, to June 19, 1914 and Gill served from June 19, 1914 to March 3, 1915.
³² Clarence A. Cannon died in office May 12, 1964.
³³ John B. Sullivan died in office January 29, 1951. Claude Bakewell was elected in a special election and served March 9, 1951- January 3, 1953.
³⁴ George H. Christopher died in office January 23, 1959.  William J. Randall was elected in a special election in 1959.
³⁵ Orville Zimmerman died in office, April 7, 1948. Paul C. Jones was elected in a special election to fill Zimmerman’s seat.