Kentucky's 8th congressional district

Kentucky's 8th congressional district was a district of the United States House of Representatives in Kentucky. It was lost to redistricting in 1963. Its last Representative was Eugene Siler.

Kentucky's 8th congressional district
Obsolete district
Created	1810
Eliminated	1960
Years active	1813–1963

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	Location
District created March 4, 1813
Vacant		March 4, 1813 – April 20, 1813	13th	Representative-elect John Simpson died.	1813–1823 Bullett, Henry, Jefferson, and Shelby counties
Stephen Ormsby (Louisville)	Democratic-Republican	April 20, 1813 – March 3, 1817	13th 14th	Elected to finish Simpson's term. Re-elected in 1814. Lost re-election.
Richard C. Anderson Jr. (Louisville)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1821	15th 16th	Elected in 1816. Re-elected in 1818. Retired.
Wingfield Bullock (Shelbyville)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1821 – October 13, 1821	17th	Elected in 1820. Died.
Vacant		October 13, 1821 – November 21, 1821
James D. Breckinridge (Louisville)	Democratic-Republican	November 21, 1821 – March 3, 1823		Elected to finish Bullock's term and seated January 2, 1822. Redistricted to the 9th district and lost re-election there.
Richard A. Buckner (Greensburg)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	18th 19th 20th	Elected in 1822. Re-elected in 1824. Re-elected in 1827. Retired.	1823–1833 Adair, Casey, Cumberland, Green, Pulaski, and Wayne counties
	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829
Nathan Gaither (Columbia)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1833	21st 22nd	Elected in 1829. Re-elected in 1831. Redistricted to the 4th district and lost re-election there.
Patrick H. Pope (Louisville)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835	23rd	Elected in 1833. Lost re-election.	1833–1843 [data missing]
William J. Graves (New Castle)	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837	24th	Elected in 1835. Re-elected in 1837. Re-elected in 1839. Retired.
	Whig	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1841	25th 26th
James Sprigg (Shelbyville)	Whig	March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843	27th	Elected in 1841. Redistricted to the 7th district and lost re-election as an independent.
Garrett Davis (Paris)	Whig	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847	28th 29th	Redistricted from the 12th district and re-elected in 1843. Re-elected in 1845. Retired.	1843–1853 [data missing]
Charles S. Morehead (Frankfort)	Whig	March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1851	30th 31st	Elected in 1847. Re-elected in 1849. Retired.
John C. Breckinridge (Lexington)	Democratic	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1855	32nd 33rd	Elected in 1851. Re-elected in 1853. Retired.
1853–1863 [data missing]
	Alexander K. Marshall (Nicholasville)	Know Nothing	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857	34th	Elected in 1855. Retired.
	James B. Clay (Lexington)	Democratic	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859	35th	Elected in 1857. Retired.
	William E. Simms (Paris)	Democratic	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861	36th	Elected in 1859. Lost re-election.
	John J. Crittenden (Frankfort)	Union Democratic	March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863	37th	Elected in 1861. Renominated but withdrew prior to election.
William H. Randall (London)	Unconditional Union	March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1867	38th 39th	Elected in 1863. Re-elected in 1865. Retired.	1863–1873 [data missing]
George M. Adams (Barbourville)	Democratic	March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1873	40th 41st 42nd	Elected in 1867. Re-elected in 1868. Re-elected in 1870. Redistricted to the 9th district.
Milton J. Durham (Danville)	Democratic	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879	43rd 44th 45th	Elected in 1872. Re-elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Lost renomination.	1873–1883 [data missing]
Philip B. Thompson Jr. (Harrodsburg)	Democratic	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1885	46th 47th 48th	Elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Re-elected in 1882. Retired.
1883–1893 [data missing]
	James B. McCreary (Richmond)	Democratic	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1897	49th 50th 51st 52nd 53rd 54th	Elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Lost renomination.
1893–1903 [data missing]
	George M. Davison (Stanford)	Republican	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899	55th	Elected in 1896. Lost re-election.
	George G. Gilbert (Shelbyville)	Democratic	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1907	56th 57th 58th 59th	Elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Retired.
1903–1913 [data missing]
	Harvey Helm (Stanford)	Democratic	March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1919	60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th	Elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918 but died before next term began.
1913–1923 [data missing]
	Vacant		March 3, 1919 – August 1, 1919	66th
	King Swope (Danville)	Republican	August 1, 1919 – March 3, 1921	66th	Elected to finish Helm's term. Lost re-election.
	Ralph W. E. Gilbert (Shelbyville)	Democratic	March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1929	67th 68th 69th 70th	Elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Lost re-election.
1923–1933 [data missing]
	Lewis L. Walker (Lancaster)	Republican	March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1931	71st	Elected in 1928. Retired.
	Ralph W. E. Gilbert (Shelbyville)	Democratic	March 4, 1931 – March 3, 1933	72nd	Elected in 1930. Retired.
District inactive		March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935	73rd
Fred M. Vinson (Ashland)	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – May 27, 1938	74th 75th	Redistricted from the at-large district and re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Resigned to become Associate Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.	1935–1943 [data missing]
Vacant		May 27, 1938 – June 4, 1938	66th
Joe B. Bates (Greenup)	Democratic	June 4, 1938 – January 3, 1953	75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd	Elected to finish Vinson's term. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Lost renomination.
1943–1953 [data missing]
James S. Golden (Pineville)	Republican	January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955	83rd	Redistricted from the 9th district and re-elected in 1952. Retired.	1953–1963 [data missing]
Eugene Siler (Williamsburg)	Republican	January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1963	84th 85th 86th 87th	Elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Redistricted to the 5th district.
District eliminated January 3, 1963

References

• 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
• Redistricting in the United States