User:Toll Booth Willie/C2

The Second Worcester District is one of 40 electoral districts that each send one senator to the Massachusetts Senate. The district is represented by state Sen. Michael O. Moore of Millbury, a Democrat.

The district consists of the southern half of the city of Worcester, and Central Massachusetts suburban towns to the west, south and east.

Under previous apportionment plans, the district has also been known as the 1st Worcester and Middlesex District or the East Worcester District.

Cities and towns
The 2nd Worcester District consists of all or part of seven towns in Central Massachusetts, as well as wards 5, 6 and 7, and precincts 1 and 5 of Ward 8, in the city of Worcester.

History
The 2nd Worcester District can trace its history back to the original state senatorial districts created in 1857. Before the 1857 apportionment, senators were elected by county, with some counties serving as multi-member districts. Worcester County formed a single district with a delegation consisting of four, five or six senators during the various apportionments of 1780 to the 1850s.

1857-1866
When a statewide system of single-member districts was established in 1857, the East Worcester District consisted of the towns of Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Clinton, Grafton, Millbury, Northborough, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Upton, West Boylston and Westborough.

1866-1896
The redistricting of 1866 saw the East District towns split, with the northern towns joining the North East Worcester District towns in the newly renamed the 5th Worcester District, while the southern towns joined the former South East Worcester District to form the new 2nd Worcester District. The 2nd District included Grafton, Northborough, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Upton and Westborough from the old East District; and Blackstone, Douglas, Mendon, Milford, Northbridge, Sutton and Uxbridge from the old South East District.

In 1876, redistricting added the town of Boylston, on the northwestern edge of the district.

In 1886's redistricting, the district lost Douglas to the 3rd Worcester District, and gained Berlin, Bolton, Clinton and Harvard from the 5th Worcester District. Hopedale separated from Milford but remained in the 2nd Worcester District.

1896-1916
Redistricting in 1896 moved the southern towns of the district to a realigned 5th Worcester District. The 2nd Worcester District gained two northeastern wards of the city of Worcester, along with several towns northwest and north of the city. The 2nd Worcester District now consisted of Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Clinton, Harvard, Holden, Lancaster, Sterling, West Boylston and part of Worcester.

1916-1939
In 1906, the suburban towns were redistricted to the Worcester and Hampden District. The 2nd Worcester District consisted of several northern wards of the city of Worcester.

1939-1975
After the redistricting of 1939, the 2nd Worcester District again included towns adjacent to Worcester: Holden in 1939; Holden and West Boylston following the redistricting of 1948; Holden, Shrewsbury and West Boylston in the redistricting of 1970.

John J. Conte was elected to the Senate in 1963 and held the 2nd District seat until the election of 1974, when he was redistricted into the 1st Worcester District.

1975-1979
The redistricting of 1973 placed all of the former 2nd District, except Holden, in a new 1st Worcester District. The 2nd Worcester District name was given to a district largely identical to the former 3rd Worcester District represented by Sen. Robert Hall. The new 2nd Worcester District consisted of Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Gardner, Holden, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Oakham, Princeton, Rutland, Sterling and Westminster.

Hall was re-elected with no opponents in 1976.

1979-1995
Redistricting in 1977 eliminated the 2nd Worcester District. The Fitchburg-centered district was named the 2nd Worcester and Middlesex District, but the forerunner of today's 2nd Worcester District was the new 1st Worcester and Middlesex District in southern Worcester County. This district included the southern half of the city of Worcester, and the towns of Grafton, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Leicester, Millbury, Northborough, Southborough, Upton and Westborough.

Daniel J. Foley, the incumbent senator from the Worcester and Middlesex District, was re-elected with no opposition in 1978, 1980 and 1982. He lost the 1984 Democratic primary election, and a write-in bid in the general election, to John P. Houston.

Houston was re-elected with no opponents in 1986.

In 1987, redistricting moved Southborough from the 1st Worcester and Middlesex District to the Middlesex, Norfolk and Worcester District, and added Sutton from the Worcester and Norfolk District.

1995-2003
The redistricting of 1993 brought back the name 2nd Worcester District and adjusted the district's boundary in the city of Worcester slightly; it also lost Hopkinton, Northborough and Westborough; and gained Auburn and Shrewsbury.

Amorello was re-elected in the 2nd Worcester District in 1994 and 1996, facing no opponents in either election. He chose not to run for re-election in 1998 in order to make a bid for U.S. Congress.

Glodis changed his residence to Auburn sometime after the 2000 election and before being re-elected, with no opposition, in 2002.

2003-2013
Several suburban towns were added to the district in the redistricting of 2001. The 2nd Worcester District consisted of Auburn, Grafton, Leicester, Millbury, Shrewsbury, Upton and the southern half of the city of Worcester.

Glodis chose not to run for re-election in 2004, instead running for, and winning, the office of Worcester County sheriff.

Augustus did not run for re-election in 2008. Michael O. Moore defeated Douglas A. Belanger for the Democratic nomination that year.

Moore was re-elected with no opponents in 2010.

2013-present
The district was largely unchanged in the redistricting of 2011, adding two precincts in Northborough and losing a handful of precincts in the city of Worcester.

Moore was re-elected with no opponents in 2014.