"The word gerrymander (originally written Gerry-mander) was used for the first time in the Boston Gazette newspaper on March 26, 1812. The word was created in reaction to a redrawing of Massachusetts state senate election districts under the then governor Elbridge Gerry (pronounced /ˈ¨Àɛri/; 1744¨C1814). In 1812, Governor Gerry signed a bill that redistricted Massachusetts to benefit his Democratic-Republican party. "