Rock Island Argus., 1901-12-31
IN THE EARLY DAYS
History of Rock Island County
on Apportion-
ment.
FORMERLY PART OF 10 DAVIES
May the First Congressman to Rep
resent County After Its
Organization.

/ idht county was organized II has
been associated congressionalIy with
the counties making the new congress
Sional district. forty-two years. From
the admission of the state TO tho
Union till the year 1892. Illinois had
been a single district. not having
sufficient population to- entitIe IT Ia
more than one congressman til the
census of 1880. The division of the
stale into two districts under that
census was made in 1881. the bill
being signed by the governor Feb. IL.
Rock Island was organized as a
county Feb. of the same wear. but
the bill creating the congressional
districts had passed the assembly so
that Roc and coInty WAS not
named in he bill. 1t was then =
part of .Io Daviess county. The dis
trict eNten led as far south rs Cal
noun county and included Green.
Sangamcn. Macon and all the coun-
ties north of them, being consider
ably more than half the total area
of the state
The southern part Of the state.
having beer settled from the soEth.
was more thiclly populated. and had
two districts.
Seven Districts I'm state.
The apportionment of 1913 divided
the state into seven districts. and
the counties forming the present lis
trict joined with 10 Daviess. Steph-
enson. Winnebago, Carroll, Ogle.
Lee, Wh;tesidc, Henry, Stark and
Knox, TO form the sixth district.
Vt the next apportionment, in 1912.
the six counties of the present dis
trict were in three districts. Rock
Island was the end OF a shoestlino.
that extended to Cook county. and
included Cook. DuPage. Kane. De
kalb, Lee, Whiteside and Rock Is
land. There was no point where the
district was two counties wide. 1t
was the worst example of shce-
string in the history of the state.
This was the second district. War
rem and Mercer were i'm the fourth
district with Fulton. Peoria Stark,
Knox. Marshall. Woodford. Mascn
and Tazewell. McDonoueh. Hancock
and Hamilton were joined with
Adams. Pike, Calhoun. Brown and
Schuyler to form the fifth district
The division was a gerrymander in
tended to give the democrats six of
the nine districts, but sCme of the
districts We're too close and the
wings and republicans succeeded in
every election but one in capturing
four If the nine.
In the apportionmcnt of 1851. ali
the courties now in this district save
were put in the fourth
Il fr-if. Al,
the district. McDonough was put in
n district with Fulton, Menard. Ma
son. CaSs. Schuyler. Brown and Pike.
The upper district was II close one.
but the republicans carried it after
the first election.
Charles NJ. Harris, a democrat Of
Oquawka, was the first congressman.
He was succeeded by \. c. Harding of
who held the Office two
terms and was succeeded by John Il.
Hawley of Rock Island, who held ii
three terms. his third term being
under the next apportionment.
Again Separated From Friends.
In the apportionment of 1872 Rock |
Island was again separated from its |
Did friends and was placed with coun- |
ties north and east. Lee, Bureau, |
Putnam, Henry and Rock Island made |
the sixth district. The other coun-
ties of the district were joined with |
Schuyler to make the tenth district. |
The first congressman from the 1
sixth district was. as said above. John |
b. Hawley. In the districts second |
ne was defeated by Gen. |
Thomas j. Henderson, who then be
gan his twenty years in congress.
The lower or tenth district was
by w. ii. Ray. republican,
IF Rushville, then bf John c. Bagby, |
democrat. of Rushville and in 1876 /
Col. b. F. Marsh was elected and |
served three terms till the reappor
tionment of 1852.
In 1882 Rock Island was put back /
with its former friends, the eleventh |
district being composed of the coun-
ties forming the present one and |
Schuyler. The district was expected |
TO be republican, but it was too
close. and the democrats carried it /
1alf the time. w. II. Neece, demo-
,rat. of Macomb. carried it twice; w. |
II. Gest, republican, of Rock Island,
carried ii twice; r. Il. Cable, demo-
,rat. of Rock Island, carried it once,
md then Col. Marsh. who had wrested
The old tenth district from the demo-
.rats three times in close fights, won
he district.
In 1898 Rock Island was placed with
Henry, Knox, Mercer, Stark and
Nhiteside to form the tenth dis
.rict. while Henderson. Warren, Han
,ock and McDonough were joined
With Adams, Brown and Schuyler TO
make the fifteenth district. In the
enth Gen. Philip S. Post was elected
but he died before his
ERIN began and George W. Prince
vas elected to fill the vacancy and
las held the place since that time.
,olonel Marsh was elected in the
over district and held the place till
he last election: when he was defeat
d by Judge Mickey of Macomb.