GERRYMANDER, g5rIrl-man'der. A word belonging to the political vocabulary of the United States, and used to denote an unfair di vision of the electoral districts in a State, made in the interest of one of the political parties. The word was coined in 1812, though the practice probably originated earlier. At that time the Federalist and Republican parties in Massachu setts were nearly evenly balanced in numerical strength, but the Republicans took advantage of a temporary majority in the Legislature to divide the State into new Senatorial districts in such a manner that those sections which gave a large number of Federalist votes might be brought into one district. Previously each county had constituted a Senatorial district, and the power of rearranging old districts or creating new ones, bestowed on the Legislature by the State Constitution, had never been exercised.
Elbridge Gerry (q.v.) was at that time Governor, and through his signature, though he seems not to have wholly approved the measure, the work of the Legislature became a law. The form of one of the districts into which Essex County was divided was somewhat like that of a monstrous animal, and when some one suggested that it looked like a salamander, the name 'gerrymander' was given to it, instead. The passage of the law caused a great outcry from the Federalists, and early in 1813, this party having again secured a majority and elected a Governor (Caleb Strong) to succeed Gerry, the law was repealed. The device, however, has since been repeatedly used in various States. For an account of the origin of the term, consult Dean, "The Gerrymander," in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. xlvi. (Boston, 1892).