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The Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex Senatorial District is one of 40 electoral districts that each send one senator to the Massachusetts Senate. The district is represented by state Sen. Anne Gobi of Spencer, a Democrat.

The district consists of suburban and rural towns between the Springfield and Worcester metropolitan areas, on the eastern edges of Hampden and Hampshire counties, the western third of Worcester County and the town of Ashby in the far northwestern corner of Middlesex County.

Under previous apportionment plans, the district has also been known as the Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin District; the Worcester, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire District; the Worcester, Hampden and Hampshire District; the Worcester and Hampden District; the Worcester and Hampshire District; and the Hampshire District.

History
The Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex District can trace its history back, through several name changes, to the original state senatorial districts created in 1857. Before the 1857 apportionment, senators were elected by county, with several senators elected at-large in each of the four counties partially covered by the current district.

1857-1886: Hampshire
When the current system of single-member districts was enacted in 1857, the territory that would become today's Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex District was largely contained in the Eastern Hampden, South West Worcester and West Worcester districts, but the forerunner of the present-day district was the Hampshire District, which in that original district plan consisted of Hadley, South Hadley, and all of the Hampshire County towns west of the Connecticut River, including Northampton.

In the reapportionment of 1866, the Hampshire District lost its westernmost towns to the new Berkshire and Hampshire District, but gained the eastern Hampshire County towns. The district now contained Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, Enfield, Granby, Greenwich, Hadley, Hatfield, Northampton, Pelham, Prescott, South Hadley, Southampton, Ware, Westhampton and Williamsburg.

In 1876, the Hampshire District added Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Huntington, Middlefield, Plainfield and Worthington, making it coextensive with Hampshire County.

1886-1896: Worcester and Hampshire
The western Hampshire towns joined southern Berkshire County towns in a new iteration of the Berkshire and Hampshire District in the redistricting of 1886, and the eastern towns joined most of the former 4th Worcester District to form the Worcester and Hampshire District. This district consisted of Amherst, Athol, Barre, Belchertown, Dana, Enfield, Gardner, Granby, Greenwich, Hadley, Hardwick, Hubbardston, New Braintree, Oakham, Pelham, Petersham, Phillipston, Prescott, Rutland, South Hadley, Templeton and Ware.

In the next reapportionment, 1896, this district was abolished, with the Hampshire towns joining the Franklin and Hampshire District and the Worcester towns rejoining the 4th Worcester District.

1906-1961: Worcester and Hampden
Redistricting in 1906 combined the eastern towns of the former 1st Hampden District with western and southwestern Worcester County to form the Worcester and Hampden District, including the towns of Barre, Brimfield, Brookfield, Charlton, Dana, Dudley, Hampden, Hardwick, Holland, Hubbardston, Leicester, Ludlow, Monson, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Oakham, Palmer, Paxton, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Rutland, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Templeton, Wales, Warren, West Brookfield and Wilbraham.

The next redistricting, in 1916, saw Phillipston and Templeton move to the 3rd Worcester District, but the Worcester and Hampden district greatly expanded to the east, adding all of the suburban towns of the former 2nd Worcester District: Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Clinton, Harvard, Holden, Lancaster, Sterling and West Boylston.

There was no change in the district's boundaries in the redistricting of 1926, though the district did add a town, as East Brookfield separated from Brookfield in 1920. Two decades later, the district lost a town without changing its boundaries, as Dana was disincorporated -- its territory merged into Petersham -- upon the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir in 1938.

In the redistricting of 1939, the district gained East Longmeadow on its western end and Northborough on its eastern end. Dudley moved to the 4th Worcester District; Harvard and Lancaster to the 3rd Worcester District; Holden to the 2nd Worcester District; Leicester to the 1st Worcester District; and Ludlow to the Franklin and Hampshire District.

The redistricting of 1948 moved Berlin, Bolton, Boylston and Northborough to the 4th Worcester District; Clinton and Sterling to the 3rd Worcester District; and West Boylston to the 2nd Worcester District. The Worcester and Hampden District gained several towns in northern Worcester County from the 3rd Worcester District, and now consisted of Athol, Barre, Brimfield, Brookfield, Charlton, East Brookfield, East Longmeadow, Hampden, Hardwick, Holland, Hubbardston, Monson, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Oakham, Palmer, Paxton, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Rutland, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Templeton, Wales, Warren, West Brookfield, Wilbraham and Winchendon.

1961-1975: Worcester, Hampden and Hampshire
Two towns from Hampshire County, Belchertown and Ware, were added from the Franklin and Hampshire District in the redistricting of 1960; and the town of East Longmeadow was moved to the Hampden and Berkshire District.

Despite the addition, the district initially retained the name Worcester and Hampden District until 1965, when it was changed to Worcester, Hampden and Hampshire District.

The redistricting of 1970 removed seven towns: Paxton, Princeton and Rutland to the 1st Worcester District; Hubbardston, Petersham and Phillipston to the 3rd Worcester District; and Southbridge to the 4th Worcester District. East Longmeadow returned to the district, as did Granby in Hampshire County and New Salem and Orange in Franklin County.

Incumbent Sen. Philip A. Quinn died during the Democratic primary election campaign in 1972, but still took 12% of the primary votes. Two write-in candidates vied for the nomination, Frederic W. Schlosstein Jr. (56%) and Robert D. Wetmore (27%).

Schlosstein was re-elected with no opponents in 1974.

1975-1995: Worcester, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire
Despite the addition of towns from Franklin County, the district's name did not change until the redistricting of 1973, when the Worcester, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire District also added Petersham and Phillipston out of the 3rd Worcester District, and moved Granby into the Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire District and Oakham into the 2nd Worcester District. The district now consisted of Athol, Barre, Belchertown, Brookfield, Brimfield, Charlton, East Brookfield, East Longmeadow, Hampden, Hardwick, Holland, Monson, New Braintree, New Salem, North Brookfield, Orange, Palmer, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Spencer, Sturbridge, Templeton, Wales, Ware, Warren, West Brookfield, Wilbraham and Winchendon.

Schlosstein did not run for re-election in 1976; Wetmore won a six-way race for the Democratic nomination and Albert B. Cook III, who had lost a bid for the Republican nomination in 1970, won it in 1976.

New district lines in 1977 moved Charlton to the Worcester and Norfolk District and Wilbraham to the Hampden District, but moved several towns into the district: Hubbardston, Oakham and Rutland from the 2nd Worcester District, Paxton from the Worcester and Middlesex District and Bernardston, Erving, Gill, Northfield, Warwick and Wendell from the Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire District.

Wetmore was re-elected with no opponents in 1978 and 1980.

Wetmore was re-elected with no opponents in 1986 and 1988.

In the apportionment of 1987, the district gained the towns of Leyden, Pelham and Shutesbury from the Franklin and Hampshire District; and Ashburnham, in northern Worcester County, from the Worcester and Middlesex District. East Longmeadow and Hampden moved to the new 2nd Hampden District.

1995-2013: Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin
The district was renamed the Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin District in the redistricting of 1993, as Bernardston, Gill, Leyden, Pelham, Shutesbury and Wendell moved to the Franklin and Hampshire District, and Ashburnham moved back to the Worcester and Middlesex District.

Wetmore did not run for re-election in 1996. State Rep. Stephen Brewer -- a former Wetmore aide -- won a two-way Democratic primary and an uncontested general election to become the district's new senator. He was also re-elected with no opponents in 1998 and 2000.

In the redistricting of 2001, New Salem, Northfield, Erving and half of Belchertown moved to the Franklin and Hampshire District; the rest of Belchertown moved to the 1st Hampden and Hampshire District. On the eastern side of the district, Paxton moved to the 1st Worcester District; Ashburnham was added from the Worcester and Middlesex District; and Charlton was added from the Worcester and Norfolk District. The district now consisted of Ashburnham, Athol, Barre, Brookfield, Brimfield, Charlton, East Brookfield, Hardwick, Holland, Hubbardston, Monson, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Oakham, Orange, Palmer, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Rutland, Spencer, Sturbridge, Templeton, Wales, Ware, Warren, Warwick, West Brookfield and Winchendon.

Brewer was re-elected with no opponents in 2006 and 2008.

2013-present: Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex
After losing its last Franklin County towns and gaining one town in Middlesex County, the district was renamed the Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex District in the redistricting of 2011. Orange, Royalston and Warwick were lost to the new Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester District; Paxton returned to the district; and Ashby was added from the Worcester and Middlesex District. The district now consists of Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Barre, Brookfield, Brimfield, Charlton, East Brookfield, Hardwick, Holland, Hubbardston, Monson, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Oakham, Palmer, Paxton, Petersham, Phillipston, Rutland, Spencer, Sturbridge, Templeton, Wales, Ware, Warren, West Brookfield and Winchendon.

Brewer was re-elected with no opponents in 2012, but did not run for re-election in 2014. State Rep. Anne Gobi ran uncontested in the Democratic primary; Michael Valanzola beat James Ehrhard for the 2014 Republican nomination.