"When mapped, one of the contorted districts in the Boston area was said to resemble the shape of a salamander. The exact author of the term gerrymander may never be definitively established. It is widely believed by historians that Federalist newspaper editors Nathan Hale, Benjamin and John Russell were the instigators, but the historical record gives no definitive evidence who created or uttered the word for the first time.[1] Probably, someone in the Federalist group said, rather than describe it as salamander "call it a gerrymander, after Governor Gerry." Appearing with the term, and helping spread and sustain its popularity, was a political cartoon depicting a strange animal with claws, wings and a dragon-type head satirizing the map of the odd shaped district. This cartoon was most likely drawn by Elkanah Tisdale an early Nineteenth Century painter, designer and engraver who was living in Boston at the time.[2] In addition, Tisdale also had the engraving skills to cut the woodblocks which printed the original cartoon.[3] These woodblocks survive and are preserved in the Library of Congress.[4] The word gerrymander was reprinted numerous times in Federalist newspapers in Massachusetts, New England and nation wide during the remainder of 1812.[5] This suggests some organized activity of the Federalists to disparage Governor Gerry in particular and the growing Democratic-Republican party in general. Gerrymandering soon began to be used to describe not only the original Massachusetts example, but other cases of district shape manipulation for partisan gain in other states. According to the Oxford English Dictionary institutionalization of the word became complete with its first appearance in a dictionary (1848) and first appearance in an encyclopedia (1868).[6]"