In 1812, Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry re-arranged the districts of some representatives to make it easier for his political party to win more seats in the Congress. The Boston Gazette newspaper noted that one of the districts was long, narrow, and irregularly shaped, and that it resembled a salamander. The term "Gerry-mander" was quickly applied to this district, and to the practice of drawing district boundaries to give political advantage to one party over another.
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