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Louisiana's 1st congressional district
From 2023 to 2025 From 2025Interactive map of district boundaries
Representative	Steve Scalise R–Jefferson
Distribution	86.02% urban 13.98% rural
Population (2023)	770,713
Median household income	$72,467
Ethnicity	67.0% White 13.0% Black 12.0% Hispanic 4.0% Two or more races 2.4% Asian 1.1% Native American 0.5% other
Cook PVI	R+23

Louisiana's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district comprises land from the northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain south to the Mississippi River delta. It covers most of New Orleans' suburbs, as well as a sliver of New Orleans itself.

The district is currently represented by Republican House majority leader Steve Scalise. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+23, it is the most Republican district in Louisiana.

History

Prior to 1974, the 1st congressional district was entirely south of Lake Pontchartrain. As a result of population changes reflected in the 1970 U.S. census and a concern to ensure that the 2nd congressional district was majority African American, the district was redrawn to include the Northshore. This was done to comply with the Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965 to enforce constitutional rights of minorities in voting, including the opportunity to elect a representative of their choosing and to redistrict after censuses.

In 1974, the state legislature redefined the 1st congressional district, dropping its precincts south of the lake and adding St. Tammany Parish, which borders Lake Pontchartrain on the north, from the 6th congressional district. Subsequently, the 1st congressional district acquired Tangipahoa and Washington parishes, both north of the lake, from the 6th congressional district.

Correspondingly, the 1st congressional district shed conservative St. Bernard Parish and other areas south of the lake to the 3rd congressional district from 1983 through 2013. Overall, the 1st congressional district has become a very safe district for the Republican Party. Before the 1960s, it was controlled by Democrats, but conservative whites realigned with the Republican Party.

The number of registered voters north of the lake is, as of 2008, slightly higher than south of the lake; however, the 1st congressional district has yet to be represented by a resident from north of Lake Pontchartrain. The reformulation of the 1st congressional district so that it virtually surrounds "the nation's second-largest saltwater lake" has generated a local joke that in the 1st congressional district of Louisiana, the voters are outnumbered by the fish.

The seat was previously held by former governor Bobby Jindal, who was elected after David Vitter retired to run for the U.S. Senate. Republicans have held the seat since 1977. That year Bob Livingston won a special election after Richard A. Tonry, who won the seat in 1976, was forced to resign the seat and lost the Democratic primary in the special election.

From 2003 to 2013, the district comprised mostly land on the North Shore and South Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, although it also contained areas west of Lake Pontchartrain. The district included some or all of the following parishes: Washington, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Jefferson, Orleans and St. Charles. It also included the cities of Hammond and Slidell and most of the western suburbs of New Orleans, including Metairie and Kenner, along with a small portion of the city itself. The district had the lowest percentage of African-American residents among the state's six-district Congressional delegation.

In 2013, St. Bernard and neighboring Plaquemines Parishes were returned to the first district after nearly 30 years in the Third. The First also picked up much of Lafourche Parish and the southernmost portion of Terrebonne Parish for the first time.

Recent presidential elections

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District Location
District created March 4, 1823
Edward Livingston (New Orleans)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	18th 19th 20th	Elected in 1822. Re-elected in 1824. Re-elected in 1826. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.	1823–1833 Ascension, Assumption, Saint Charles, Saint John, Lafourche, Orleans, Saint Bernard, Saint James, and Terrebonne parishes
	Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829
Edward Douglass White Sr. (Donaldsonville)	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1833	21st 22nd 23rd	Elected in 1828. Re-elected in 1830. Re-elected in 1832. Retired to run for governor and resigned when elected.
		March 4, 1833 – November 15, 1834			1833–1843 [data missing]
Vacant		November 15, 1834 – December 1, 1834	23rd
Henry Johnson (Donaldsonville)	Anti-Jacksonian	December 1, 1834 – March 3, 1837	23rd 24th 25th	Elected to finish White's term. Also elected to the next full term. Re-elected in 1836. Retired to run for Governor of Louisiana.
	Whig	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839
Edward Douglass White Sr. (Thibodaux)	Whig	March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843	26th 27th	Elected in 1838. Re-elected in 1840. Retired.
John Slidell (New Orleans)	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – November 10, 1845	28th 29th	Elected in 1842. Re-elected in 1844. Resigned.	1843–1853 [data missing]
Vacant		November 10, 1845 – January 29, 1846	29th
Emile La Sére (New Orleans)	Democratic	January 29, 1846 – March 3, 1851	29th 30th 31st	Elected to finish Slidell's term. Re-elected in 1846. Re-elected in 1848. Retired.
Louis St. Martin (New Orleans)	Democratic	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	32nd	Elected in 1850. Retired.
William Dunbar (New Orleans)	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd	Elected in 1852. Lost re-election.	1853–1863 Plaquemines and Saint Bernard parishes, as well as the portion of Orleans Parish on the right (west) bank of the Mississippi River and on the left (east) bank below Canal Street in the city of New Orleans
George Eustis Jr. (New Orleans)	Know Nothing	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1859	34th 35th	Elected in 1854. Re-elected in 1856. Retired.
J. E. Bouligny (New Orleans)	Know Nothing	December 3, 1859 – March 3, 1861	36th	Elected in 1859. Bouligny opposed Louisiana's secession and remained in Washington, D.C. during the Civil War. He never retook residency in Louisiana.
Vacant		March 4, 1861 – February 17, 1863	37th	Civil War
Benjamin Flanders (New Orleans)	Union	February 17, 1863 – March 3, 1863		Elected in 1862. Retired.
Vacant		March 3, 1863 – July 18, 1868	38th 39th 40th	Civil War–Louisiana under occupation	1863–1873 [data missing]
Jacob Hale Sypher (New Orleans)	Republican	July 18, 1868 – March 3, 1869	40th	Elected to finish the vacant term. Term expired during election contest.
Vacant		March 3, 1869 – November 7, 1870	41st	Contested election of Louis St. Martin and Jacob Hale Sypher, House decided neither candidate entitled to seat.
Jacob Hale Sypher (New Orleans)	Republican	November 7, 1870 – March 3, 1875	41st 42nd 43rd	Elected to finish the vacant term. Re-elected in 1870. Re-elected in 1872. Lost re-election.
1873–1883 [data missing]
	Effingham Lawrence (New Orleans)	Democratic	March 3, 1875 – March 3, 1875	43rd	Successfully contested Sypher's election, then retired after one day in office—the shortest service ever by a member of the House of Representatives.
	Randall Lee Gibson (New Orleans)	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1883	44th 45th 46th 47th	Elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
Carleton Hunt (New Orleans)	Democratic	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885	48th	Elected in 1882. Retired.	1883–1893 [data missing]
Louis St. Martin (New Orleans)	Democratic	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1887	49th	Elected in 1884. Retired.
Theodore Stark Wilkinson (Plaquemines Parish)	Democratic	March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891	50th 51st	Elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Retired.
Adolph Meyer (New Orleans)	Democratic	March 4, 1891 – March 8, 1908	52nd 53rd 54th 55th 56th 57th 58th 59th 60th	Elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Died.
1893–1903 [data missing]
1903–1913 [data missing]
	Vacant		March 8, 1908 – November 3, 1908	60th
	Albert Estopinal (Estopinal)	Democratic	November 3, 1908 – April 28, 1919	60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th 66th	Elected to finish Meyer's term. Also elected to the next full term. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Died.
1913–1923 [data missing]
	Vacant		April 28, 1919 – June 5, 1919	66th
	James O'Connor (New Orleans)	Democratic	June 5, 1919 – March 3, 1931	66th 67th 68th 69th 70th 71st	Elected to finish Estopinal's term. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Lost renomination.
1923–1933 [data missing]
	Joachim O. Fernandez (New Orleans)	Democratic	March 4, 1931 – January 3, 1941	72nd 73rd 74th 75th 76th	Elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Lost renomination.
1933–1943 [data missing]
	Felix Edward Hébert (New Orleans)	Democratic	January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1977	77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th	Elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Retired.
1943–1953 [data missing]
1953–1963 [data missing]
1963–1973 [data missing]
1973–1983 [data missing]
	Richard A. Tonry (Arabi)	Democratic	January 3, 1977 – May 4, 1977	95th	Elected in 1976. Resigned after conviction for vote-buying.
	Vacant		May 4, 1977 – August 27, 1977	95th
	Bob Livingston (New Orleans 1977–83; Metairie 1984–99)	Republican	August 27, 1977 – March 1, 1999	95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th	Elected to finish Tonry's term. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Resigned following revelations of his extramarital affair.
1983–1993 [data missing]
1993–2003 [data missing]
	Vacant		March 2, 1999 – May 29, 1999	108th
	David Vitter (Metairie)	Republican	May 29, 1999 – January 3, 2005	106th 107th 108th	Elected to finish Livingston's term. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
2003–2013
	Bobby Jindal (Kenner)	Republican	January 3, 2005 – January 14, 2008	109th 110th	Elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Resigned to become Governor of Louisiana.
	Vacant		January 14, 2008 – May 7, 2008	110th
	Steve Scalise (Jefferson)	Republican	May 7, 2008 – present	110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th	Elected to finish Jindal's term. Re-elected later in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024.
2013–2023
2023–2025

1. He was elected along with Michael Hahn on December 3, 1862, assuming the seat left vacant after J. E. Bouligny's term expired in 1861. Flanders and Hahn were not seated in Congress until the last fifteen days of their terms on February 17, 1863.
2. There were so many irregularities in the 1868 election that Congress threw it out. Sypher won the second round.
3. Sypher's 1872 re-election was successfully contested by Effingham Lawrence. Sypher lost, but only after the original returns were certified in his favor. After protracted court intervention, Lawrence was declared elected, but just one day (March 3, 1875) remained in the term, and in the meantime Lawrence had lost the 1874 election to Democrat Randall Lee Gibson.

Recent election results

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

See also

• Louisiana's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

References

1. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (State-based)". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 2, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
2. ^ "My Congressional District".
3. ^ "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. July 12, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
4. Cook Partisan Voting Index
5. Several residents of the northlake area (eastern Florida Parishes) served in Congress to represent the 6th congressional district before it ceded territory to the 1st congressional district.
6. John D. Winters, The Civil War in Louisiana, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963, ISBN 0-8071-0834-0, pp. 133-134

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

29°39′59″N 89°53′34″W / 29.66639°N 89.89278°W / 29.66639; -89.89278

• Congressional districts of Louisiana
• Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
• Orleans Parish, Louisiana
• Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
• St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
• St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
• St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
• Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
• Washington Parish, Louisiana
• 1823 establishments in Louisiana
• Constituencies established in 1823