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The Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden Senatorial District is one of 40 electoral districts that each send one senator to the Massachusetts Senate. The district is represented by state Sen. Benjamin Downing of Pittsfield, a Democrat.

The district represents the westernmost cities and towns in Massachusetts, consisting of the entirety of Berkshire County and the rural westernmost portions of the three Pioneer Valley counties.

Under previous apportionment plans since 1987, the district's name has always started with "Berkshire," though the order in which the other three (in the early 2000s, two) counties are mentioned has changed as the composition of the district's eastern tier changed. Before 1987, it was known simply as the Berkshire District.

History
The Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden 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 Berkshire County generally electing two senators at-large.

1857-1886: North Berkshire
When the current system of single-member districts was enacted in 1857, the districts still tended to stay within county lines. Berkshire County was split into two districts, including a North Berkshire District that consisted of Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Dalton, Florida, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, New Ashford, Peru, Pittsfield, Savoy, Williamstown and Windsor.

This district was renamed the Berkshire District in the redistricting of 1866 and added Richmond and Washington from the old South Berkshire District, and Hawley and Monroe from the Franklin District. The remainder of the South Berkshire district joined with part of Hampshire County to form the Berkshire and Hampshire District.

In the redistricting of 1876, the district returned to its 1857 boundaries and the name North Berkshire District returned. In 1878, the town of North Adams separated from Adams, but remained part of the North Berkshire District.

1886-1979: Berkshire
Redistricting in 1886 again connected southern Berkshire County with western Hampshire County, resulting in the again renamed Berkshire District gaining three central Berkshire towns, Lenox, Richmond and Washington.

Richmond and Windsor were returned to the Berkshire and Hampshire District in the redistricting of 1896. The district now consisted of Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Dalton, Florida, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, New Ashford, North Adams, Peru, Pittsfield, Savoy, Williamstown and Windsor, all in Berkshire County.

The district contracted to its original size in the redistricting of 1906, losing Lenox to the Berkshire, Hampshire and Hampden District.

It lost two more towns to its neighboring district to the south in the redistricting of 1916, Hinsdale and Peru. Those two towns returned to the Berkshire District in the redistricting of 1926.

In the redistricting of 1939, the district again expanded into central Berkshire County, adding Lenox, Richmond, Stockbridge, Washington and West Stockbridge.

In 1948's redistricting, the district added a panhandle along the New York border into southern Berkshire County, gaining the towns of Alford, Becket, Egremont and Mount Washington from the Hampden, Hampshire and Berkshire District.

All four of those towns, along with Richmond, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge, were transferred to the Hampden and Berkshire District in the redistricting of 1960. The Berkshire District again consisted of just the central and northern Berkshire communities of Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Dalton, Florida, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, Lee, Lenox, New Ashford, North Adams, Peru, Pittsfield, Savoy, Washington, Williamstown and Windsor.

In the redistricting of 1970, the district expanded again, adding Alford, Richmond, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge.

The Berkshire District picked up additional central Berkshire towns in the redistricting of 1973, gaining Great Barrington and Tyringham. Nuciforo did not run for re-election in 1974.

1979-1989: Berkshire
Redistricting in 1977 made the Berkshire District coextensive with Berkshire County, adding the remaining towns on the southern end of the county out of the Hampden and Berkshire District: Egremont, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Sandisfield and Sheffield.

Webber was re-elected with no opponent in 1986.

1989-1995: Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire
In the redistricting of 1987, the district expanded to include towns outside Berkshire County for the first time since 1876. Renamed the Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire District, it consisted of all of Berkshire County, plus the towns of Charlemont, Colrain, Hawley, Heath, Monroe and Rowe in the Franklin County; Chester, Blandford and Tolland, in Hampden County; and Cummington, Middlefield, Plainfield and Worthington in Hampshire County.

Webber was re-elected with no opponent in 1988, but did not run for re-election in 1990.

1995-2003: Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin
Redistricting in 1993 changed the name of the district to Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin District but made just two changes in its composition, adding Granville in Hampden County and dropping Colrain.

Swift was re-elected with no opponent in 1994. She did not run for re-election in 1996, instead mounting an unsuccessful campaign that year for United States representative in Massachusetts's 1st congressional district.

Nuciforo, the son of the former Berkshire District senator of the same name, was re-elected with no opponent in 1998 and 2000.

2003-2013: Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin
All of the district's Hampden County towns were moved to the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District in the redistricting of 2001, giving it the shorter name Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin District. Several Hampshire and Franklin towns were added to the district, which continued to include all of Berkshire County. The district now consisted of Adams, Alford, Ashfield, Becket, Charlemont, Cheshire, Chesterfield, Clarksburg, Conway, Cummington, Dalton, Egremont, Florida, Great Barrington, Goshen, Hancock, Hawley, Heath, Hinsdale, Huntington, Lanesborough, Lee, Lenox, Monroe, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Ashford, New Marlborough, Middlefield, North Adams, Otis, Peru, Pittsfield, Plainfield, Richmond, Rowe, Sandisfield, Savoy, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, West Stockbridge, Westhampton, Williamsburg, Williamstown, Windsor and Worthington.

Nuciforo did not run for re-election in 2006, instead winning election as register of deeds.

Downing was re-elected with no opponent in 2008 and 2010.

2013-present: Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden
In the redistricting of 2011, Blandford and Chester rejoined the district, prompting it to be renamed the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden District. In Franklin County, Buckland and Shelburne also joined from the Franklin and Hampshire District.

Downing was re-elected with no opponent in 2012 and 2014. He did not run for re-election in 2016.