Elections - Historical Notes

Districts - Reapportionment

The acts listed below have affected the civil districts in Hickman County, but are no longer operative regarding elections. Also referenced below is an act which repeals prior law without providing new substantive provisions.

1. Public Acts of 1835-36, Chapter 1, required the general assembly to appoint commissioners in each county to divide the said county into civil districts, the number of districts depending on the population of the county. a county with 3,000 qualified voters would have 25 civil districts, 2,500 qualified voters meant 20 civil districts. Resolution #3 appointed Alfred Durdon, George Perry, John Depriest, Jonothan Reaves, and Alexander Graves, as the commissioners for Hickman County. Two justices of the peace and one constable would be elected in each district except the one with the county seat which would have three justices of the peace and two constables.
2. Acts of 1847-48, Chapter 152, Section 2, divided the third civil district of Hickman County making the Duck River the dividing line. All the district lying on the south side of the River would be No. 3 and all that lying north of the said river would be No. 13 where the election would be held at the house of John Bibb and the election would be held in the third in the same place as formerly.
3. Private Acts of 1857-58, Chapter 20, created the fourteenth civil district of Hickman County beginning one-quarter of a mile from Stanfill's Mills on the Williamsport Road, running to the nearest point of Swan Creek, leaving Mrs. Stanfill and John McGill in District #1; thence up the said creek with its meanders and on to the dividing ridge between Short and Fall Branch, thence with said ridge to the old Natchez Road; east with the same to the old well, thence on a line to what is called the Robert Totty Road where the same intersects the Williamsport and Centerville Road; thence back to the beginning. This civil district would have the same number of officers as the others. The first election would be at Wheat's Shop in next March when the other elections take place.
4. Private Acts of 1859-60, Chapter 31, created the fifteenth civil district in Hickman County, beginning at the mouth of Buck Branch, running up said branch to the line of the fourteenth civil district; thence with that line west until it reaches what is called Tatty Road and thence with the road and the old green road to the river; thence up the river to the beginning. The place of voting, until decided otherwise, would be at or near the house of Nathaniel Young, Esquire, for all the county elections which would be conducted under the same laws as all other elections. This precinct would have regular election officers as the other voting places enjoyed.
5. Acts of 1905, Chapter 503, set up eight civil districts in Hickman County. The first civil district would remain as it was, the second district would include the old second and fourteenth district; the third district was composed of the old third and fifteenth district; the fourth civil district contained the old fourth and thirteenth districts; the fifth civil district had the old fifth and sixth districts; the sixth district included the old seventh and eighth; the seventh district was the old ninth and tenth and the eighth district was made up of the old eleventh and twelfth districts. The county court had the authority to rearrange the size of the civil districts but could not change the number. Two justices of the peace and one constable would be elected in each except in the first civil district which would have three justices of the peace and two constables.
6. Acts of 1909, Chapter 466, repealed Acts of 1905, Chapter 503, Item 5, above, and restored the fifteen civil districts of Hickman County as they existed before the passage of that law, dated August 1, 1906. Voting precincts would remain as they were constituted and the quarterly court could rearrange boundaries to a limited extent.

Elections

The following is a listing of acts for Hickman County which affected the elective process, but which have been superseded or repealed. They are listed here for historical and reference purposes. Also referenced below is an act which repeals prior law without providing new substantive provisions.

1. Acts of 1807, Chapter 74, set up eleven presidential electoral districts in Tennessee of which the fifth district was composed of the counties of Davidson, Robertson, Montgomery, Stewart, Dickson, Williamson, Maury, Rutherford, Bedford, and Hickman. The presidential election would take place on the second Thursday in November, 1808.
2. Acts of 1809, First Session, Chapter 1, provided that an election would be held on the last Thursday and Friday of the present month to elect three representatives to the U.S. Congress from Tennessee, one to be elected in the Washington District, one to be elected in the Hamilton District, and one to be elected from the combined districts of Mero, Robertson, and Winchester. Hickman County was a part of the Robertson District whose votes would be tallied at Clarksville in Montgomery County.
3. Acts of 1812, Chapter 5, established eight presidential electoral districts in the state. The eighth district was made up of the counties of Robertson, Montgomery, Stewart, Dickson, Hickman, and Humphreys. Each district would elect one presidential elector. The votes in the eighth district would be counted and confirmed at Charlotte in Dickson County.
4. Acts of 1812, Chapter 27, divided the state into six U.S. congressional districts. The sixth Congressional district contained the counties of Robertson, Montgomery, Dickson, Humphreys, Hickman, Stewart, Maury, and Giles. Votes would be canvassed and polled at Charlotte in Dickson County.
5. Acts of 1812, Chapter 57, apportioned the representation of the general assembly of the state which was composed of 20 senators and 40 representatives. One senatorial district was made up of the counties of Robertson, Dickson, and Hickman whose votes would be canvassed at Charlotte in Dickson County. Hickman County and Dickson County would jointly elect one senator.
6. Acts of 1813, Chapter 14, directed that the sheriff would hereafter hold a separate election at the home of Zebulon Hassell on the waters of Lick Creek in Hickman County on the days appointed to hold other elections in the county and state. Any person caught voting here and at some other place also could be fined $10.
7. Acts of 1815, Chapter 3, made it the duty of the sheriff of Hickman County to hold a separate election at the house of Crawford Goodwin on the waters of Tumbling Creek at the same time and in the same manner as other elections. Polls would be counted at Vernon.
8. Acts of 1817, Chapter 160, required the Hickman County Sheriff to hold a separate election at the place named in Maury County and also at the home of David Williams on Beaver Dam Creek which would be held under the election laws of the state.
9. Public Acts of 1819, Chapter 69, provided that the counties of Hickman, Lawrence, Wayne, and Hardin would constitute one of the twenty state senatorial districts and Lawrence County would combine with Hickman County to elect one of the four representatives. Polls would be counted and certified for representative in Vernon in Hickman County.
10. Public Acts of 1821, Chapter 46, Section 2, provided that the returning officers of the state senatorial district composed of the counties of Hickman, Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, Shelby, and Madison, would meet on the second Monday after holding the election at Savannah in Hardin County.
11. Public Acts of 1822, Second Session, Chapter 1, established eight U.S. Congressional districts in Tennessee. The eighth district contained the counties of Robertson, Montgomery, Dickson, Stewart, Humphreys, and Hickman.
12. Public Acts of 1823, Chapter 47, divided Tennessee into eleven presidential electoral districts for the presidential election which would take place on the first Thursday in October, 1824. The tenth district was made up of the counties of Montgomery, Robertson, Stewart, Dickson, Humphreys, and Hickman. Polls would be counted and certified at Charlotte in Dickson County.
13. Public Acts of 1824, Chapter 1, set up eleven presidential electoral districts in the state, assigning the counties of Robertson, Montgomery, Stewart, Dickson, Humphreys, and Hickman to the tenth electoral district. Polls would be counted at Charlotte in Dickson County.
14. Public Acts of 1826, Chapter 3, apportioned the representation in the general assembly of the state. The counties of Hickman, Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, and McNairy were assigned to one of the twenty senatorial districts, counting the polls at Waynesboro in Wayne County. Dickson County and Hickman County would jointly elect one of the forty representatives. Polls would be compared at Charlotte in Dickson County.
15. Public Acts of 1827, Chapter 17, formed eleven presidential electoral districts in the state. The counties of Bedford, Maury, and Hickman constituted the ninth electoral district in which the polls would be counted and verified at Columbia in Maury County.
16. Public Acts of 1832, Chapter 4, divided Tennessee into thirteen U.S. Congressional districts. The eleventh congressional district contained the counties of Robertson, Montgomery, Stewart, Humphreys, Hickman and Dickson.
17. Public Acts of 1832, Chapter 9, formed fifteen presidential electoral districts in the state, allocating the counties of Maury, Hickman, Perry and Wayne to the twelfth electoral district. This presidential election was scheduled for the first Monday and Tuesday in November, 1832.
18. Public Acts of 1833, Chapter 71, apportioned the twenty senatorial seats and the forty positions of Representative among the counties of Tennessee. One senatorial district consisted of the counties of Hickman, Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin and McNairy whose votes would be compared and verified at Waynesboro. Dickson County and Hickman County would combine to elect one representative. These votes would be polled at the house of Thomas Petty on Piney Creek in Hickman County.
19. Public Acts of 1833, Chapter 76, provided for a State Constitutional Convention whose 60 delegates would be elected on the first Thursday and Friday in March and would meet in Nashville on the third Monday in May next. Hickman County, Lawrence County and Wayne County composed one district which would elect two delegates to the convention. The returns would be checked and confirmed at Catron's Iron Works in Lawrenceburgh.
20. Public Acts of 1835-36, Chapter 39, enacted under the new State Constitution, divided the state into fifteenth presidential electoral districts. The twelfth electoral district contained the counties of Maury, Hickman, Perry and Wayne.
21. Acts of 1842, Second Session, Chapter 1, divided Tennessee into twenty-five senatorial districts and fifty representative districts for the general assembly. The counties of Hickman, Lawrence, Wayne and Hardin composed one senatorial district whose votes would be compared and verified at Waynesborough. Hickman County would elect one of the fifty representatives alone.
22. Acts of 1842, Second Session, Chapter 7, set up eleven U.S. Congressional districts in Tennessee. The sixth U.S. Congressional district was made up of the counties of Hickman, Maury, Giles, Lawrence, Wayne and Hardin.
23. Acts of 1851-52, Chapter 196, established ten U.S. Congressional districts in Tennessee. The seventh district contained the counties of Giles, Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, McNairy, Perry, Decatur, Benton, Humphreys, Hickman and Lewis.
24. Acts of 1851-52, Chapter 197, assigned the counties of Maury, Lewis, Dickson and Hickman to one of the twenty-five state senatorial districts, whose polls would be compared at Centerville in Hickman County. Hickman County would elect one of the fifty representatives alone.
25. Public Acts of 1865, Chapter 34, formed eight U.S. Congressional districts out of the post civil war turmoil and confusion in Tennessee. The sixth U.S. Congressional district included the counties of Lawrence, Wayne, Hardin, Decatur, Perry, Lewis, Maury, Hickman, Humphreys, Dickson, Montgomery and Stewart.
26. Public Acts of 1871, Chapter 146, reapportioned the state legislature based upon the 1870 Federal Census in Tennessee. The sixteenth state senatorial district was composed of the counties of Hickman, Perry, Humphreys, Dickson, Cheatham and Houston. The counties of Hickman, Perry and Lewis would elect one representative jointly.
27. Acts of 1872, Chapter 7, formed nine U.S. Congressional districts in Tennessee in the aftermath of the great Civil War. The sixth U.S. Congressional district contained the counties of Williamson, Maury, Giles, Lawrence, Wayne, Lewis, Hickman and Dickson.
28. Public Acts of 1873, Chapter 27, increased the number of U.S. Congressional districts in Tennessee from nine to ten. The seventh Congressional district consisted of the counties of Wayne, Lawrence, Giles, Lewis, Maury, Hickman and Williamson.
29. Public Acts of 1881, Extra Session, Chapter 6, apportioned the counties of the state into senatorial and representative districts. The twenty-second senatorial district was composed of Hickman, Humphreys, Dickson and Houston counties. Hickman County would elect one representative.
30. Public Acts of 1882, Second Session, Chapter 27, established ten U.S. Congressional districts in Tennessee. The seventh Congressional district included the counties of Williamson, Maury, Giles, Lawrence, Wayne, Lewis, Hickman and Dickson.
31. Public Acts of 1891, Chapter 131, was virtually a duplicate of Acts of 1882, Chapter 27, above, although this act was predicated upon the 1890 Census. There were ten U.S. Congressional districts and the seventh district was made up of the same counties listed above.
32. Acts of 1891, Extra Session, Chapter 10, reapportioned the Tennessee General Assembly. Hickman County and Williamson County made up the eighteenth state senatorial district while Hickman County would elect one state representative alone. This, too, was based upon the 1890 Federal Census.
33. Public Acts of 1901, Chapter 109, realigned the ten U.S. Congressional districts according to the 1900 Federal Census. The seventh district included the counties of Houston, Humphreys, Dickson, Hickman, Williamson, Lewis, Maury, Giles, Lawrence and Wayne.
34. Public Acts of 1901, Chapter 122, apportioned the general assembly of the state for the last time until the late 1960's. The twenty-first senatorial district contained the counties of Hickman, Williamson and Cheatham. Hickman County would elect one representative alone.
35. Private Acts of 1949, Chapter 441, set up two voting places in the first civil district of Hickman County in Centerville. One was at the courthouse, at which only those voters who resided outside of the corporate limits of Centerville were to vote. The other precinct was to be at the fire hall in Centerville, at which those voters living within the limits of Centerville in the first civil district were to vote.
36. Private Acts of 1951, Chapter 454, expressly repealed Private Acts of 1949, Chapter 441, in its entirety.