Elections - Historical Notes

Districts - Reapportionment

The act listed below once affected the civil districts in Putnam County, but is no longer operative regarding elections.

1. Private Acts of 1943, Chapter 175, detached the farm belonging to Oscar Huddelston, which was then located in the Eleventh Civil District and attached the same to the Twelfth Civil District of Putnam County. A description of the land involved in the transfer was given in the Act.

Elections

The following is a listing of acts for Putnam County which affected the elective process, but which have been superseded or repealed. They are listed here for historical and reference purposes.

1. Acts of 1842 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 1, established 25 Senatorial Districts and 50 Representative Districts for the General Assembly. This Act stated that the citizens of the newly formed counties of Putnam and Macon would vote with the counties from which they were taken until the next enumeration and apportionment.
2. Acts of 1842 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 7, provided for the citizens of Putnam and Macon Counties to vote in the elections for U. S. Congressmen in the counties from which they were taken.
3. Acts of 1865, Chapter 34, was a post civil war act which formed Tennessee into eight U. S. Congressional Districts. The Third Congressional District contained the counties of Meigs, Rhea, Hamilton, Marion, Grundy, Bledsoe, Van Buren, Sequatchie, Warren, White, Smith, Cumberland, Putnam, Jackson, Macon, Overton, DeKalb, and Fentress.
4. Acts of 1869-70, Chapter 105, was the authority to hold a referendum in the State of Tennessee on the question of calling a Constitutional Convention to be composed of 75 delegates from the Senatorial and Representative Districts. The Convention would be authorized to change, alter, revise, or rewrite entirely the constitution as it now existed. The Convention was slated to meet in Nashville, if approved by the voters, on the second Monday in January, 1870.
5. Acts of 1871, Chapter 146, rearranged the representation in the Senate and House of Representatives in the State. White County and Putnam County would join together to elect one of the 50 representatives while one of the 25 Senators would represent the counties of Campbell, Morgan, Scott, Roane, Fentress, Overton, Putnam, White and Cumberland in the Fifth Senatorial District.
6. Acts of 1872 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 7, created nine U. S. Congressional Districts in the State. The Second U. S. Congressional District was made up of the counties of Sevier, Knox, Jefferson, Anderson, Campbell, Scott, Morgan, Fentress, Cumberland, White Putnam, Overton, Jackson, Smith, Macon and Clay.
7. Acts of 1873, Chapter 27, added one U. S. Congressional District to the nine already set up in the State, making ten Districts in all. The Fourth U. S. Congressional District had in it the counties of Fentress, Overton, Putnam, Jackson, Clay, Macon, Smith, Trousdale, Wilson, Sumner, and Robertson.
8. Acts of 1881 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 5, fixed the number of State Senators in the General Assembly permanently at 33 and the number of Representatives at 99.
9. Acts of 1881 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 6, reapportioned the Tennessee General Assembly in accordance with Acts of 1881 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 6. Putnam County would elect one Representative alone and join the Counties of Cannon, Warren, and DeKalb to form the 10th State Senatorial District.
10. Acts of 1882 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 27, divided Tennessee into ten U. S. Congressional Districts. The Fourth District was made up of the Counties of Sumner, Wilson, Macon, Trousdale, Smith, DeKalb, Clay, Jackson, Putnam, Overton, Fentress and Pickett.
11. Acts of 1891, Chapter 131, formed ten U. S. Congressional Districts in the State based on the 1890 census figures. The counties of Sumner, Wilson, Macon, Trousdale, Smith, Clay, Jackson, Overton, Putnam, Fentress, Pickett, Cumberland, and Rhea were all assigned to the Fourth U. S. Congressional District.
12. Acts of 1891 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 10, established the representation of the counties in the General Assembly of the State. Putnam County would choose one Representative for herself alone and would share a State Senator with Scott, Fentress, Pickett, Overton, Clay, Jackson, and Putnam in the Tenth District. These allocations were based on the 1890 census figures.
13. Acts of 1901, Chapter 109, divided Tennessee into ten U. S. Congressional Districts based upon the population changes shown in the 1900 census. The Fourth U. S. Congressional District included the counties of Sumner, Trousdale, Wilson, Putnam, Jackson, Clay, Overton, Smith, Macon, Pickett, Fentress, Morgan, Cumberland, and Rhea.
14. Acts of 1901, Chapter 122, apportioned the representation in the General Assembly of the State. The Tenth State Senatorial District was made up of the counties of Morgan, Fentress, Clay, Pickett, Overton, Putnam, and Jackson while Putnam County was given one Representative alone.
15. Private Acts of 1947, Chapter 347, provided that in the referendum election to be held in Putnam County on March 12, 1947, to determine whether the Quarterly Court would appropriate $100,000 and sell bonds for that amount with which to build a war memorial in honor of the men and women of the armed services, all people otherwise qualified to vote could vote in the said election upon their presenting evidence of having paid the 1945 and 1946 poll taxes. All persons who had been honorably discharged from the service in World War Two would not have to pay any poll tax in order to vote.
16. Private Acts of 1961, Chapter 321, set the compensation of all the Judges, clerks, and officers holding a general or a primary election in Putnam County at $8 per day for one day only. This Act was properly ratified by the Quarterly Court of Putnam County.