County Elections – Private Legislative Acts
Published for the Quarterly County Court by the County Technical Assistance Service, University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service, Nashville, TN, 1976. Transcribed by Billie McNamara in 1996. A current, digital version of this information is available on-line.
Contents of Private Acts:
Historic State & Federal Election Laws
Local elections in Tennessee are now covered by general statutes in Tennessee Code Annotated. Hawkins County is in the Third State Senatorial District and Ninth State Representative District. Hawkins County is part of the First U.S. Congressional District.
The following private acts governing the election process for state and federal officials in Hawkins County have been superseded or repealed. They are listed here for historical and reference purposes.
Acts of 1796, Chapter 10: Provided that the newly formed State of Tennessee would send three Representatives to the United States Congress, one each from the Districts of Washington, Hamilton, and Mero.
Acts of 1798, Chapter 16: Apportioned the State for representation in the General Assembly, in conformity with the requirements of the newly adopted State Constitution that it be done for the existing counties. There were 12 Senators and eight Representatives, and it was composed
of the counties of Washington, Carter, Sullivan, Greene, and Hawkins, whose people would elect one Senator and one Representative.
Acts of 1799, Chapter 46: Appointed Electors for the election of the President and Vice-President of the United States. Hawkins County selected Joel Dyer, James Hogan, and William Armstrong, Esquire, as its Electors.
Acts of 1803, Chapter 24: Divided the State into five Presidential Electoral Districts for the purpose of electing a President and Vice-President. The Second Electoral District contained the counties of Hawkins, Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson, and Cocke, who would combine to elect one Elector. The poll results were to be reported at Dandridge in Jefferson County.
Acts of 1805, Chapter 64: Apportioned the growing State into 13 Senatorial and 26 Representative Districts. Sullivan and Hawkins County would jointly elect one State Senator, and Hawkins County was given one Representative alone.
Acts of 1806, Chapter 16: Made it lawful hereafter for the residents of Hawkins County living north of the Clinch River to meet at the house of David Garrison on those days set aside for elections in order to vote therein, and it was the duty of the Sheriff to hold the same at that location.
Acts of 1807, Chapter 74: Again divided the State into five Presidential Electoral Districts. The Counties of Washington, Greene, Sullivan, Carter, and Hawkins made up one Electoral District.
Acts of 1809, Chapter 1: Retained the three U.S. Congressional Districts, which required that the District of Washington elect one Congressman, the District of Hamilton would elect one, and the combined Districts of Winchester, Robertson, and Mero would elect the other one. The votes in the Washington District, to which Hawkins County belonged, would be counted at Jonesborough.
Acts of 1812, Chapter 5: Formed Tennessee into eight U.S. Congressional Districts. The First District had in it the counties of Sullivan, Carter, Washington, Greene, and Hawkins, and the votes would be compared at Jonesborough.
Acts of 1812, Chapter 27: Evidently corrected Chapter 5, Acts of 1812, above, by creating only six U.S. Congressional Districts. The First District was still composed of the same five counties named above.
Acts of 1812, Chapter 57: Formed twenty Senatorial Districts and forty Representative Districts in the State. Sullivan and Hawkins Counties would jointly elect a Senator and count the votes at the Boat Yard in Sullivan County. All Counties would elect at least one Representative, but the more populous counties, not including Hawkins, would elect more than one.
Acts of 1819, Chapter 69: Again provided for twenty Senators and forty Representatives in the State Legislature. Hawkins and Sullivan would combine to elect a Senator, and Hawkins would have its own Representative.
Acts of 1820, Chapter 127: Set up a separate election precinct for all elections in local, state, and federal governments at Surgoinsville in Hawkins County.
Acts of 1822, Chapter 1: Established eight U.S. Congressional Districts in Tennessee, assigning the counties of Carter, Washington, Sullivan, Hawkins, and Greene to the First U.S. Congressional District.
Acts of 1823, Chapter 47: Specified that the counties of Carter, Sullivan, Hawkins, Washington, and Greene would constitute one of the eleven Presidential Electoral Districts in Tennessee.
Acts of 1824, Chapter 1: Seemed to be a duplication of Chapter 47, Acts of 1823, above, setting up eleven Electoral Districts and assigning the same five counties to the First District.
Acts of 1826, Chapter 3: Provided that the Counties of Sullivan, Carter, and Hawkins would jointly elect one of the 20 State Senators, and Hawkins alone would elect one of the forty Representatives in the General Assembly. Votes for Senator would be compared at Kingsport, in Sullivan County.
Acts of 1827, Chapter 17: Established eleven Presidential Electoral Districts in the State, and assigned Carter, Sullivan, Hawkins, Washington, and Greene Counties to the First District.
Acts of 1832, Chapter 4: Delineated the State into thirteen U.S. Congressional Districts, of which the Second District was composed of the Counties of Sullivan, Hawkins, Grainger, Claiborne, and Campbell.
Acts of 1832, Chapter 9: Provided for fifteen Presidential Electoral Districts in Tennessee. The Second District contained the counties of Sullivan, Hawkins, Grainger, and Claiborne.
Acts of 1833, Chapter 71: Reapportioned Tennessee for the General Assembly. Sullivan County and Hawkins County would share both a Senator and a Representative, and the votes would be compared at Kingsport for both elections.
Acts of 1833, Chapter 76: Provided for the election of 60 delegates to a Constitutional Convention. The election would be held on the first Thursday and Friday in March, and the delegates would convene in Nashville on the third Monday in May following. This led to the formation of the 1835 State Constitution. Hawkins County was allotted one delegate to the Convention.
Acts of 1835-36, Chapter 39: Created 15 Presidential Electoral Districts in Tennessee, assigning the Counties of Sullivan, Hawkins, Grainger, and Claiborne to the Second Electoral District.
Acts of 1839-40, Chapter 79: Made the Presidential Electoral Districts and the United States Congressional Districts to be one and the same on a permanent basis.
Acts of 1842 (E.S.), Chapter 1: Divided the State into 25 Senatorial Districts and 50 Representative Districts for the General Assembly. Greene County and Hawkins County composed one Senatorial District, while Hawkins County would elect one Representative alone and share another one with Washington and Greene Counties.
Acts of 1842 (E.S.), Chapter 7: Provided for eleven U.S. Congressional Districts in the State. The First District was made up of the counties of Johnson, Carter, Sullivan, Washington, Hawkins, Greene, and Cocke.
Acts of 1865, Chapter 34: Was the first post-Civil War Act that apportioned the State for representation in the United States Congress, giving Tennessee eight Congressional Districts. The First Congressional District contained the counties of Johnson, Carter, Sullivan, Washington, Hawkins, Hancock, Greene, Cocke, Jefferson, Grainger, and Sevier.
Acts of 1871, Chapter 146: Apportioned the representation in the State Legislature of Tennessee according to the Census of 1870. Sullivan, Hawkins, Hamblen, Hancock, and Claiborne counties would compose two Senatorial Districts, and Hawkins County would elect a lone Representative for the County.
Acts of 1872 (E.S.), Chapter 7: Redistricted Tennessee for representation in the United States Congress, forming nine Districts in the State. The First Congressional District comprised the counties of Johnson, Carter, Sullivan, Washington, Hawkins, Greene, Hancock, Claiborne, Union, Grainger, Hamblen, and Cocke.
Acts of 1873, Chapter 27: Created ten U.S. Congressional Districts, assigning to the First District the Counties of Johnson, Carter, Sullivan, Washington, Greene, Hawkins, Hancock, Claiborne, Grainger, Hamblen, and Cocke.
Acts of 1881 (E.S.), Chapter 5: Fixed the number of Senators in the State General Assembly at 33 and the Representatives at 99, both on a permanent basis.
Acts of 1881 (E.S.), Chapter 6: Organized the State into 33 Senatorial Districts, of which Greene, Hawkins, and Hancock Counties composed the Second. Hawkins would elect one Representative alone and share a floater with Hamblen and Hancock Counties.
Acts of 1882, Chapter 27: Reorganized the Congressional Districts in Tennessee into ten districts. The First Congressional District embraced the counties of Johnson, Carter, Sullivan, Washington, Unicoi, Hawkins, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Claiborne, Cocke, and Grainger.
Acts of 1891 (E.S.), Chapter 10, Page 25: Divided the State into Senatorial and Representative Districts, based on the 1890 Census.
Hawkins County would elect one Representative alone and share a floater with Johnson, Sullivan, Washington, Unicoi, Greene, and Hancock Counties. Sullivan County, Hawkins County, and Hamblen County composed the Second State Senatorial District.
Acts of 1901, Chapter 109: Redistricted the State’s ten U.S. Congressional Districts according to the 1900 Federal Census. The First District was made up of the Counties of Sullivan, Johnson, Carter, Unicoi, Washington, Greene, Hawkins, Hancock, Claiborne, Grainger, Cocke, and
Sevier.
Acts of 1901, Chapter 122: Reapportioned Tennessee according to the new 1900 Federal Census. Sullivan County and Hawkins County would elect one State Senator jointly. Hawkins would elect one Representative as her own and share another one with Sullivan County. These 1901 Acts, with the exceptions of a very few minor amendments, were the last apportionment of the State to take place for over 65 years.