Illinois's 8th House of Representatives district
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| La Shawn Ford D–Chicago | |
| since 2007 | |
48.7% Black
20.7% Hispanic
1.6% Asian
0.1% Native American
0.0% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.3% Other
2.3% Multiracial
1849–1873, 1957–1973
| Illinois's 8th State House of Representatives district | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
.svg) | |||||
| Representative |
| ||||
| Demographics | 26.5% White 48.7% Black 20.7% Hispanic 1.6% Asian 0.1% Native American 0.0% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.3% Other 2.3% Multiracial | ||||
| Population (2020) | 109,504 | ||||
| Created | 1983–present 1849–1873, 1957–1973 | ||||
| Notes | |||||
Illinois's 8th House of Representatives district is a Representative district within the Illinois House of Representatives located in Cook County, Illinois. It has been represented by Democrat La Shawn Ford since January 10, 2007. The district was previously represented by Democrat Calvin Giles from 1993 to 2007.
Located in the Chicago metropolitan area, the district includes parts of Berwyn, Broadview, Chicago, Cicero, Countryside, Forest Park, Hodgkins, La Grange, La Grange Park, North Riverside, Oak Park, Westchester, Western Springs and parts of the Chicago neighborhood of Austin.[1][2]
Prior to the ratification of the 1848 Illinois Constitution, counties (or two or more counties) were designated a certain number of Senators and Representatives. With the ratification of the 1848 Illinois Constitution, Legislative and Representative districts were numbered and called by name. Each district was still assigned a certain number of Senators and Representatives. After the passage of the 1872 Apportionment, only Legislative districts were drawn with Representatives elected cumulatively. The 1954 amendment to the 1870 Illinois Constitution established Representative districts as separate from Legislative districts (with representatives still elected cumulatively). The boundaries of Representative and Legislative districts would differ.[3] After the United States Supreme Court ruled in Reynolds v. Sims (1964) that "both houses of state legislatures must be apportioned according to districts of equal population," new districts were redrawn for the Illinois Senate and Illinois House of Representatives. While the Legislative districts were redrawn, the Governor and General Assembly failed to agree on Representative district boundaries. Under the 1954 amendment, "a 10-man bipartisan commission appointed by the governor from recommendations made by both parties" were directed to redraw boundaries but failed to do so in 1963. Because of this failure, and with no district boundaries redrawn, all Representative districts were temporarily merged into one at-large district with 177 representatives (the total number of representatives at the time). The 1964 Illinois House election had several candidates running for all 177 seats throughout the state.[4] In 1965, the Representative districts were redrawn by the Illinois Legislative Reapportionment Commission and elections held in 1966 were done with separate districts.[5] With the 1971 Apportionment (and adoption of the 1970 Illinois Constitution), Representative districts were abolished and representatives were once again elected cumulatively per Legislative district.[6] After the passage of the Cutback Amendment in 1980, the number of Representatives was reduced from 177 to 118 with Representative districts re-established and now electing a single representative.
Prominent representatives
| Representative | Notes |
|---|---|
.jpg) Jesse White |
Elected the 37th Illinois Secretary of State (1999 – 2023) |
List of representatives
1849 – 1854
| Representative[7] | Party | Years[a] | General Assembly (GA) | Electoral history | Counties represented |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7th Representative district established with 1848 Illinois Constitution. | |||||
| William Pickering | Whig[8][9] | January 1, 1849 – January 3, 1853 |
16th 17th |
Redistricted from Edwards County House District and re-elected in 1848 Re-elected in 1850 Was not re-elected in 1852. |
Edwards Wabash |
| Victor B. Bell | January 3, 1853 – January 1, 1855 |
18th | Elected in 1852 Was not re-elected in 1854. | ||
| 1854 Reapportionment now gives the district two Representatives to elect cumulatively. | |||||
1854 – 1871
| Representative[7] | Party | Party Control | Years[a] | General Assembly (GA) | Electoral history | Counties represented |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1854 Reapportionment now gives the district two Representatives to elect cumulatively. | ||||||
| Hugh Gregg | Democratic[10][11] | 2 Democrats | January 1, 1855 – January 5, 1857 |
19th | Elected in 1854 Was not re-elected in 1856. |
Hamilton Jefferson Marion |
| T. B. Tanner | ||||||
| John A. Wilson | January 5, 1857 – January 3, 1859 |
20th | Elected back in 1856 Was not re-elected in 1858. | |||
| William B. Anderson | January 5, 1857 – January 7, 1861 |
20th 21st |
Elected in 1856 Re-elected in 1858 Was not re-elected in 1860. | |||
| John McElvaine | January 3, 1859 – January 7, 1861 |
21st | Elected in 1858 Was not re-elected in 1860. | |||
| Cyrus W. Webster | Unknown | 2 Unknowns | January 7, 1861 – January 5, 1863 |
22nd | Elected in 1860 Was not re-elected in 1862. | |
| Cloyd Crouch[12] | ||||||
| Samuel Moffatt | Unknown | January 5, 1863 – January 2, 1865 |
23rd | Elected in 1862 Was not re-elected in 1864. |
Monroe Randolph Perry | |
| Edmund Menard | ||||||
| Austin James | Democratic[13] | 2 Democrats | January 2, 1865 – January 7, 1867 |
24th | Elected in 1864 Was not re-elected in 1866. | |
| William K. Murphy | January 2, 1865 – January 4, 1869 |
24th 25th |
Elected in 1864 Re-elected in 1866 Was not re-elected in 1868. | |||
| John Campbell | Unknown | 1 Democrat 1 Unknown |
January 7, 1867 – January 4, 1869 |
25th | Elected in 1866 Was not re-elected in 1868. | |
| Thomas H. Burgess | Republican[14] | 2 Republicans | January 4, 1869 – January 4, 1871 |
26th | Elected in 1868 Was not re-elected in 1870. | |
| John M. McCutcheon | ||||||
| 1870 Reapportionment now gives the district only 1 Representative. | ||||||
1871 – 1873
| Representative[7] | Party | Years[a] | General Assembly (GA) | Electoral history | Counties represented |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 Reapportionment now gives the district only 1 Representative. | |||||
| William Elder | Democratic[15] | January 4, 1871 – January 8, 1873 |
27th | Elected back in 1870 Was not re-elected in 1872. |
Saline |
| District abolished with 1872 Reapportionment as 3 Representatives were now elected cumulatively from Legislative districts. | |||||
1957 – 1973
| Representative[7] | Party | Party Control | Years[a][b] | General Assembly (GA) | Electoral history | Counties represented |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District re-established in 1957. | ||||||
| Esther Saperstein | Democratic | 2 Democrats 1 Republican |
January 9, 1957 – January 6, 1965 |
70th 71st 72nd 73rd |
Elected in 1956 Re-elected in 1958 Re-elected in 1960 Re-elected in 1962 Redistricted to At-large district and re-elected in 1964. |
Cook |
| Michael F. Zlatnik | Republican | Elected in 1956 Re-elected in 1958 Re-elected in 1960 Re-elected in 1962 Did not run in At-large election and retired. | ||||
| Paul Elward | Democratic | Elected in 1956 Re-elected in 1958 Re-elected in 1960 Re-elected in 1962 Redistricted to At-large district and re-elected in 1964. | ||||
| The district was temporarily abolished from 1965 to 1967 due to the Redistricting Commission in 1963 failing to reach an agreement. An at-large election was held electing 177 Representatives from across the state. | ||||||
| Jack E. Walker | Republican | 2 Republicans 1 Democrat |
January 4, 1967 – January 13, 1971 |
75th 76th |
Elected back in 1966 Re-elected in 1968 Elected state Senator in the 8th Legislative District in 1970. |
Cook |
| John W. Thompson | January 4, 1967 – January 10, 1973 |
75th 76th 77th |
Elected in 1966 Re-elected in 1968 Re-elected in 1970 Retired. | |||
| Anthony Scariano | Democratic | Redistricted from At-large District and won re-election in 1966 Re-elected in 1968 Re-elected in 1970 Ran for state Senator in the 9th Legislative District and lost in 1972. | ||||
| Lynn Brenne | Republican | January 13, 1971 – January 10, 1973 |
77th | Elected in 1970 Redistricted to the 9th Legislative District and lost re-election in 1972. | ||
| District abolished with 1971 Reapportionment as Representatives were once again elected from Legislative districts. | ||||||
1983 – Present
| Representative[7] | Party | Years[b] | General Assembly (GA) | Electoral history | Counties represented |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District re-established with representatives now elected one per district with the passage of the Cutback Amendment | |||||
Jesse White |
Democratic | January 12, 1983 – December 1, 1992 |
83rd 84th 85th 86th |
Redistricted from the 13th Legislative District and re-elected in 1982 Re-elected in 1984 Re-elected in 1986 Re-elected in 1988 Re-elected in 1990 Elected Cook County Recorder of Deeds and resigned his Representative seat in 1992. |
Cook |
| 87th | |||||
| Vacant | December 1, 1992 – January 13, 1993 | ||||
| Robert LeFlore | Democratic | January 13, 1993 – May 3, 1993 |
88th | Redistricted from the 13th Representative District and re-elected in 1992 Died in 1993. | |
| Vacant | May 3, 1993 – May 1993[16] | ||||
| Calvin Giles | Democratic | May 1993 – January 10, 2007 |
88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th |
Appointed in 1993 Elected in 1994 Re-elected in 1996 Re-elected in 1998 Re-elected in 2000 Re-elected in 2002 Re-elected in 2004 Lost renomination in 2006. | |
 La Shawn Ford |
January 10, 2007 – present |
95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd |
Elected in 2006 Re-elected 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 | ||
Historic District Boundaries
| Years | County | Municipalities/Townships | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 – present | Cook | Berwyn, Broadview, Chicago (Austin), Cicero, Countryside, Forest Park, Hodgkins, La Grange, La Grange Park, North Riverside, Oak Park, Westchester, Western Springs | [1][2] |
| 2013 – 2023 | Berwyn, Brookfield, Chicago (Austin), Forest Park, La Grange, La Grange Park, North Riverside, Oak Park | [17][2] | |
| 2003 – 2013 | [18] | ||
| 1993 – 2003 | Chicago | [19] | |
| 1983 – 1993 | Chicago | [20] | |
| 1967 – 1973 | Bloom Township, Rich Township, parts of Thornton Township | [21] | |
| 1957 – 1965 | Chicago | [22] | |
| 1871 – 1873 | Saline | Bankston, Eldorado, Gallatia, Harrisburg, Hartford, Independence, Mitchellsville, Raleigh, Saline City, Somerset, South America, Whitesville | [23][24][25] |
| 1863 – 1871 | Monroe Randolph Perry |
Appleton, Blair, Burksville, Chester, Cobb, Columbia, Coulterville, Denmark, Du Quoin, Eagle Cliff, Eden, Evansville, Florence, Freedom, Galum, Georgetown, Glasgow City, Grande Cole, Harrisonville, Holt Prairie, Iowa, Jones Creek, Jordan Grove, Kaskaskia, Liberty, Maysville, Mitchie, Monroe City, Morrison, Mt. Hawkins, Old Du Quoin, Pinckneyville, Pleasant Shade, Pollacks, Prairie du Rocher, Preston, Randolph, Red Bud, Renault, Ruma, St. Johns, Smith's Landing, Sparta, Steuben, Tamaroa, Waterloo | [23][26][27][28][29] |
| 1855 – 1863 | Hamilton Jefferson Marion |
Bear Creek, Belle Prairie (Belle Prairie City), Blissville, Centralia, Elkton, Farina, Farrington, Fosters, Fredericktown, Griswold, Hickory Hill, Jefferson, Jefferson City, Jordans Prairie, Junction (Junction City), Kinmundy, Lanes Roads, Logansport, Lovilla, Lynchburg, McLeansboro, Middleton, Moores Prairie, Mount Vernon, Odin, Palo Alto, Patoka, Ponti, Racoon, Rome, Salem, Sandoval, Spring Garden, Walnut Hill | [23][30][31][26] |
| 1849 – 1855 | Edwards Wabash |
Albion, Armstrong, Centreville, Grayville, McChenes Bluff, Mier, Mills Prairie, Mount Carmel, Oxford, Palmyra, Rochester Mills (Rochester) | [23][32][33][34][35] |