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Events on Tuesday 11 February 1812 1
1812Term "gerrymander" coinedMassachusetts redistricting law gives rise to a lasting political termOn 11 February 1812 Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry signed a redistricting law that drew a contorted state senate district to favor his party. A Boston newspaper cartoon likened the district's shape to a salamander, coining the term "gerrymander" for manipulated electoral boundaries. The word remains in common political use worldwide.