Lafayette County, Missouri

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Lafayette County, Missouri
Lafayette County Courthouse, Lexington, Missouri.jpg
Map of Missouri highlighting Lafayette County
Location in the U.S. state of Missouri
Map of the United States highlighting Missouri
Missouri's location in the U.S.
Founded November 16, 1820
Named for Marquis de La Fayette
Seat Lexington
Largest city Odessa
Area
 • Total 639 sq mi (1,655 km2)
 • Land 628 sq mi (1,627 km2)
 • Water 11 sq mi (28 km2), 1.6%
Population
 • (2010) 33,381
 • Density 53/sq mi (20/km²)
Congressional district 5th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.lafayettecountymo.com

Lafayette County is a county located in the western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,381.[1] Its county seat is Lexington.[2] The county was organized November 16, 1820 from Cooper County and originally named Lillard County for James Lillard of Tennessee, who served in the first state constitutional convention and first state legislature.[3] It was renamed Lafayette County on February 16, 1825, in honor of Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de La Fayette, who was then visiting the United States.[4]

Lafayette County is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Lafayette County was settled primarily from migrants from the Upper Southern states of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. They brought slaves and slaveholding traditions and started cultivating crops similar to those in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky: hemp and tobacco. As a result, this part of Missouri, and neighboring counties, became known as Little Dixie. In 1860 slaves made up 25 percent or more of the county's population, and the county was strongly pro-Confederate during the American Civil War.[5]

Newcomers from Germany as well as German Americans from St. Louis began arriving shortly before the war, with many more to come afterwards. They eventually made up a large part of the populations of Concordia, Emma, Wellington, Napoleon, Higginsville, Mayview, and Lexington. The German immigrants generally supported the Union during the war.

In November 2013, Leland Ray Kolkmeyer pled guilty, in federal court, of a fraud scheme in which he embezzled more than $1.5 million from Wellington-Napoleon Fire Protection District and Special Road District while being their former treasurer.[6][7][8]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 639 square miles (1,660 km2), of which 628 square miles (1,630 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (1.6%) is water.[9]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1830 2,912 —
1840 6,815 134.0%
1850 13,690 100.9%
1860 20,098 46.8%
1870 22,623 12.6%
1880 25,710 13.6%
1890 30,184 17.4%
1900 31,679 5.0%
1910 30,154 −4.8%
1920 30,006 −0.5%
1930 29,259 −2.5%
1940 27,856 −4.8%
1950 25,272 −9.3%
1960 25,274 0.0%
1970 26,626 5.3%
1980 29,925 12.4%
1990 31,107 3.9%
2000 32,960 6.0%
2010 33,381 1.3%
Est. 2014 32,688 [10] −2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13]
1990-2000[14] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 32,960 people, 12,569 households, and 9,099 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 13,707 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.52% White, 2.27% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Approximately 1.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.3% were of German, 17.5% American, 9.9% English and 9.7% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 12,569 households out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.30% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.20% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,235, and the median income for a family was $45,717. Males had a median income of $31,972 versus $22,684 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,493. About 6.90% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.90% of those under age 18 and 9.10% of those ages 65 or over.

Education

Public schools

Private schools

Politics

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Local

The Republican Party mostly controls politics at the local level in Lafayette County. Republicans hold a little more than half of the elected positions in the county.

Lafayette County, Missouri
Elected countywide officials
Assessor Mike Dobson Democratic
Circuit Clerk Deana Aversman Republican
County Clerk Linda Niendick Republican
Collector Lori Fiegenbaum Democratic
Commissioner
(Presiding)		 Harold Hoflander Republican
Commissioner
(District 1)		 Gil Rector Democratic
Commissioner
(District 2)		 Tracy Dyer Republican
Coroner Daljeet Singh Democratic
Prosecuting Attorney Kellie Ritchie Democratic
Public Administrator Barb Copenhaver Republican
Recorder Patsy Olvera Republican
Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh Democratic
Surveyor Mark Nolte Republican
Treasurer Dale Ensor Democratic

State

Past Gubernatorial Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2008 42.70% 7,022 55.09% 9,060 2.21% 364
2004 52.97% 8,541 45.59% 7,351 1.43% 231
2000 50.32% 7,276 47.94% 6,932 1.74% 251
1996 34.00% 4,450 63.05% 8,252 2.94% 385

Lafayette County is divided into four legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives, three of which are held by Republicans and one by a Democrat.

  • District 26 – Joe Aull (D-Marshal). Consists of the communities of Alma, Concordia, Corder, Dover, Lexington, Waverly, and Wellington.
Missouri House of Representatives – District 26 - Lafayette County (2010)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Joe Aull 3,945 100.00
Missouri House of Representatives – District 55 - Lafayette County (2010)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Sheila Solon 27 75.00
Democratic Clay Rodgers 8 22.22
Libertarian Jeffrey Hoorfar 1 2.78
Missouri House of Representatives – District 118 - Lafayette County (2010)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Stanley Cox 38 70.37
Democratic Raymond F. Kinney 13 24.07
Constitution Curtis Shipman 3 5.56
  • District 122 – Mike McGhee (R-Odessa). Consists of the communities of Aullville, Bates City, Higginsville, Lake Lafayete, Napoleon, and Odessa.
Missouri House of Representatives – District 122 - Lafayette County (2010)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mike McGhee 4,467 62.23
Democratic Holmes Osborne 2,711 37.77

All of Lafayette County is a part of Missouri’s 21st District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Bob Stouffer (R-Napton).

Missouri Senate - District 21 – Lafayette County (2008)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Bob Stouffer 10,128 63.21
Democratic Joe Sadeghi 5,896 36.79

Federal

All of Lafayette County is included in Missouri’s 4th Congressional District and is currently represented by Vicky Hartzler (R-Harrisonville) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. House of Representatives – Missouri’s 4th Congressional District - Lafayette County (2010)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Ike Skelton* 6,610 55.32
Republican Vicky Hartzler 4,945 41.39
Libertarian Jason Michael Braun 238 1.99
Constitution Greg Cowan 155 1.30

Political culture

Past Presidential Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2008 56.88% 9,442 41.58% 6,902 1.52% 256
2004 59.67% 9,656 39.62% 6,412 0.70% 114
2000 54.06% 7,849 43.68% 6,343 2.26% 328
1996 41.57% 5,489 46.34 6,118 12.09% 1,596

Missouri Presidential Preference Primary (2008)

  • Former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 2,464, than any candidate from either party in Lafayette County during the 2008 presidential primary.
Lafayette County, Missouri
2008 Republican primary in Missouri
John McCain 1,148 (35.28%)
Mike Huckabee 979 (30.09%)
Mitt Romney 898 (27.60%)
Ron Paul 160 (4.92%)
Lafayette County, Missouri
2008 Democratic primary in Missouri
Hillary Clinton 2,464 (60.75%)
Barack Obama 1,436 (35.04%)
John Edwards (withdrawn) 106 (2.61%)

Communities

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See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. open access publication - free to read
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ T. J. Stiles, Jesse James: The Last Rebel of the Civil War, New York: Vintage Books, 2003, pp. 10-11
  6. ↑ Public servant steals $1.5 million from two tiny towns in Missouri; The Kansas City Star; November 22, 2013.
  7. ↑ Treasurer admits to embezzling over $1 million from small towns’ funds; Fox4KC; November 22, 2013.
  8. ↑ Treasurer for road district and fire district pleads guilty to embezzling $1.5 million; justice.gov; November 20, 2013.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

 Ray County Carroll County
Jackson County Saline County
  Lafayette County, Missouri  
Johnson County Pettis County

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