Here's the breakdown:
* Gerry: The name comes from Elbridge Gerry, the governor of Massachusetts from 1810 to 1812.
* mander: This part comes from salamander, a type of amphibian.
The story goes like this:
In 1812, Gerry signed a bill redrawing the congressional districts of Massachusetts to favor his Democratic-Republican party. One of the districts, drawn in the shape of a salamander, was seen as a blatant example of manipulating electoral boundaries for partisan advantage.
A Boston newspaper, the *Columbian Centinel*, published a political cartoon depicting the oddly shaped district and labeled it "the Gerry-mander." The name stuck, and "gerrymandering" became a term for the practice of manipulating electoral districts for political gain.
So, while the word itself is a play on words, the concept of gerrymandering has been around for much longer, and it continues to be a controversial issue in elections today.