What is the origin of the word 'gerrymandering'?
by 
Ed the Jetpacking Headbanger
ANSWERS: 4
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without the use of any source: Gov. Elbridge Gerry from Massachusetts was known for drawing severely biased election districts. One of his hand drawn districts looked like a salamander. The name Gerrymander stuck from there.
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This is all I could find ger·ry·man·der [jérree màndÉ™r] vti (past ger·ry·man·dered, past participle ger·ry·man·dered, present participle ger·ry·man·der·ing, 3rd person present singular ger·ry·man·ders) try to get extra votes unfairly: to manipulate an electoral area, usually by altering its boundaries, in order to gain an unfair political advantage in an election n (plural ger·ry·man·ders) 1. act of gerrymandering: an unfair manipulation of an electoral area for political advantage 2. manipulated electoral area: an electoral area manipulated in such a way as to give one political party an unfair advantage in an election [Early 19th century. A blend of Elbridge Gerry and salamander , from the shape of an electoral district he created to favor his own party.]
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it was created in 1813 combining the word salamander, “a small lizardlike amphibian,” with the last name of Elbridge Gerry, a former governor of Massachusetts—a state noted for its varied, often colorful political figure. The was made up because an election district created by members of his party in 1812 looked like a salamander. According to one version of gerrymander's coining, the shape of the district attracted the eye of the painter Gilbert Stuart, who noticed it on a map in a newspaper editor's office. Stuart decorated the outline of the district with a head, wings, and claws and then said to the editor, “That will do for a salamander!” “Gerrymander!” came the reply. Very interesting. Until you asked I just took it for granter. Great question!
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1812, Amer.Eng., from Elbridge Gerry + (sala)mander. Gerry, governor of Massachusetts, was lampooned when his party redistricted the state in a blatant bid to preserve an Antifederalist majority. One Essex County district resembled a salamander, and a newspaper editor dubbed it Gerrymander. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=gerrymander Etymology: Elbridge Gerry + salamander; from the shape of an election district formed during Gerry's governorship of Massachusetts Date: 1812 1 : the act or method of gerrymandering 2 : a district or pattern of districts varying greatly in size or population as a result of gerrymandering http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=gerrymander Etymology: From (Elbridge) Gerry + (sala)mander, from the similarity in shape to a salamander of an election district created when Gerry was the governor of Massachusetts http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gerrymander
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