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62-591: The incident took place in Douglas County , centered on the Wakarusa River Valley and the town of Lawrence , where the opposing militias confronted each other for the first time. At the behest of Territorial Governor Wilson Shannon , the two sides eventually agreed to a truce, but it was short-lived, and widespread violence resumed the following spring. While pro- and anti-slavery settlers had been antagonistic towards one another for some time,

124-769: A free state . The pro- and anti-slavery settlers held great animosity towards one another, leading to many events, such as the drafting of the Lecompton Constitution (which would have admitted Kansas into the Union as a slave state), the Wakarusa War (1855), the Sack of Lawrence (1856), Battle of Black Jack (1856), and the Lawrence Massacre (1863). The first railroad in Douglas County,

186-505: A Free-Stater named Jacob Branson, who had witnessed the murder, apparently in an attempt to thwart Branson's threatened retaliation. When Jones investigated, he chose not to arrest Coleman for Dow's murder but instead arrested Branson on charges of disturbing the peace . However, a posse of Free-Staters led by Samuel Newitt Wood , composed mostly of Branson's neighbors, intercepted Jones' party en route to Lecompton and forced them to release Branson, challenging Jones' authority and causing

248-835: A farm or plantation, with labor provided by enslaved African Americans. Atchison's law practice flourished, and his best-known client was Joseph Smith , founder of the Latter Day Saint Movement . Atchison represented Smith in land disputes with non-Mormon settlers in Caldwell County and Daviess County . Alexander William Doniphan joined Atchison's law practice in Liberty in May 1833. The two became fast friends and spent many leisure time hours playing cards, going to horse races, hunting, fishing, and attending social functions and political events. Atchison, already

310-471: A female householder with no husband present, and 45.0% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 26.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

372-537: A lawyer, senator, and soldier. Inauguration Day —March 4—fell on a Sunday in 1849, and so president-elect Zachary Taylor did not take the presidential oath of office until the next day. Even so, the term of the outgoing president, James K. Polk , ended at noon on March 4. On March 2, outgoing vice president George M. Dallas relinquished his position as president of the Senate . Congress had previously chosen Atchison as president pro tempore . In 1849, according to

434-863: A member of the Liberty Blues, a volunteer militia in Missouri, got Doniphan to join. Atchison was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1834. He worked hard for the Platte Purchase , which required Native American tribes to cede land to the United States and extended the northwestern boundary of Missouri to the Missouri River in 1837. When early disputes broke out into the Mormon War of 1838 , Atchison

496-667: A plot to overthrow the existing order. For two days, Sumner listed crime, after crime, in detail, complete with documentation by newspapers and letters of the time, showing the tortures and violence by Atchison and his men. Two days later, Atchison gave his own speech, totally unaware as yet that he was exposed on the Senate floor in such a fashion. Atchison's speech was to the Texas men he just met, hired and paid for, Atchison reveals in his speech, by "authorities in Washington". They are about to invade Lawrence, Kansas . Atchison makes

558-635: A political history more typical of Vermont and Maine than of the Great Plains. This is due to the county's strong New England roots. It voted for the Republican candidate in every presidential election between 1864 and 1960, except in 1912 when the GOP was mortally divided and the county supported Progressive Theodore Roosevelt . Roosevelt would later rejoin the GOP. The county reverted to form and gave Republican presidential nominees over 60 percent of

620-622: A whole, but some men had broken into the United States Arsenal at Liberty, Missouri and stolen guns, cutlasses, the "Old Sacramento Cannon" (which would later be used during the Sacking of Lawrence in 1856), and other munitions of war. Hearing of the impending raid, the men of Lawrence raised up a militia of 800 men. Dr. Charles L. Robinson (an agent of the New England Emigrant Aid Company )

682-462: Is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas . Its county seat and most populous city is Lawrence . As of the 2020 census , the county population was 118,785, making it the fifth-most populous county in Kansas. The county was named after Stephen Douglas , a U.S. Senator from Illinois and advocate for the popular sovereignty choice in the Kansas slavery debate. Douglas County comprises

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744-628: Is a small country lake to the southwest of Lawrence offers fishing, boating and camping. Just northeast of Baldwin City is Douglas State Fishing Lake which provides hunting, fishing and limited camping. Other parks around the county include Black Jack Park which includes the Ivan Boyd Prairie Preserve and Robert Hall Pearson Memorial Park, Broken Arrow Park in Lawrence and Wells Overlook Park just south of Lawrence. Major events in

806-546: Is in the Lawrence city limits. List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Douglas County. Douglas County is divided into nine townships . The city of Lawrence is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) of significant size included in that township's population total. The county originally had only four townships. Lecompton comprised

868-684: Is now part of Lexington, Kentucky . He was educated at Transylvania University in Lexington. Classmates included five future Democratic senators ( Solomon Downs of Louisiana , Jesse Bright of Indiana , George Wallace Jones of Iowa , Edward Hannegan of Indiana , and Jefferson Davis of Mississippi ). Atchison completed law studies and was admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1829. In 1830 he moved to Liberty in Clay County in western Missouri, and set up practice there. He also acquired

930-417: The 2022 Kansas abortion referendum , an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 81% to 19%, outpacing its support of Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election . The Douglas County Sheriff's office has two divisions, Corrections, which operates a 185-bed jail, and Operations. The Operations Division includes a dive team, a patrol, and a warrants unit. The department works with other local police agencies at

992-606: The Kansas–Nebraska Act , which embodied this idea, in November 1853. The act was passed and became law in May 1854, establishing the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska. Both Douglas and Atchison had believed that Nebraska would be settled by Free-State men from Iowa and Illinois , and Kansas by pro-slavery Missourians and other Southerners, thus preserving the numerical balance between free states and slave states in

1054-681: The Missouri River to reinforce Price, and defeated Union troops that tried to block his force in the Battle of Liberty . Atchison served in the State Guard through the end of 1861. In March 1862, Union forces in the Trans-Mississippi theater won a decisive victory at Pea Ridge in Arkansas and secured Union control of Missouri. Atchison then resigned from the army over reported strategy arguments with Price and moved to Texas for

1116-488: The Presidential Succession Act of 1792, the Senate president pro tempore immediately followed the vice president in the presidential line of succession . As Dallas's term also ended at noon on the 4th, and as neither Taylor nor vice president-elect Millard Fillmore had been sworn in to office on that day, it was claimed by some of Atchison's friends and colleagues that from March 4–5, 1849, Atchison

1178-582: The Treaty of Fontainebleau . In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France via the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso , although the former country kept title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre . In 1854, the Kansas Territory

1240-467: The University of Kansas , Lawrence Police Department , Eudora , and Baldwin City. As of 2021 the sheriff is Jay T. Armbrister. Douglas County is served by seven school districts. Clinton Lake , completed in 1980, offers boating, fishing and other water sports and various parks surrounding the lake provides camping and trails for mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding. Lone Star Lake

1302-748: The Whigs to defeat incumbent Benton for re-election. Benton, intending to challenge Atchison in 1854, began to agitate for territorial organization of the area west of Missouri (now the states of Kansas and Nebraska ) so that it could be opened to settlement. To counter this, Atchison proposed that the area be organized and that the section of the Missouri Compromise banning slavery there be repealed in favor of popular sovereignty . Under this plan, settlers in each territory would vote to decide whether they would allow slavery. At Atchison's request, Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois introduced

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1364-698: The poverty line , including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over. In recent years, since the 1990s, the Democratic Party has been dominant in Douglas County. Democrats control all County-wide offices in the county. Douglas County is currently served by county commissioners Patrick Kelly, Shannon Reid, and Karen Willey, all are Democrats. According to the Kansas Secretary of State's office, as of July 2021, there were 35,146 registered Democrats, 22,324 registered Republicans, 900 registered Libertarians, and 21,474 Independents in

1426-513: The 4th, occurring on Sunday, Gen. Taylor was not inaugurated. He was not inaugurated till Monday, the 5th, at 12 noon. It was then canvassed among Senators whether there was an interregnum (a time during which a country lacks a government). It was plain that there was either an interregnum or I was the President of the United States being chairman of the Senate, having succeeded Judge Mangum of North Carolina. The judge waked me up at 3 o'clock in

1488-635: The Bowersock Dam. Douglas County comprises the Lawrence, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area , which is also included in the Kansas City - Overland Park - Kansas City , MO -KS Combined Statistical Area . As of the census of 2000, there were 99,962 people, 38,486 households, and 21,167 families residing in the county. The population density was 219 people per square mile (85 people/km ). There were 40,250 housing units at an average density of 88 per square mile (34/km ). The racial makeup of

1550-512: The Democrats in the Missouri legislature were split between him and Benton, while the Whig minority put forward their own man. No senator was elected until January 1857, when James S. Green was chosen. When the first transcontinental railroad was proposed in the 1850s, Atchison called for it to be built along the central route (from St. Louis through Missouri, Kansas, and Utah ), rather than

1612-471: The GOP carried the county in every election between 1968 and 1988. During this time, Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Michael Dukakis in 1988 were the only Democrats to come reasonably close to carrying the county. However, the growing transformation of Lawrence into a liberal academic center has pulled the county into the Democratic column in every election since 1992. This was typical of many counties around

1674-663: The Kansas Pacific, was built through that territory in 1864. According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 475 square miles (1,230 km ), of which 456 square miles (1,180 km ) is land and 19 square miles (49 km ) (4.0%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Kansas by land area. Much of its northern boundary is defined by the Kansas River , which flows through Lawrence and provides hydropower at

1736-554: The Kansas Territorial legislature to be elected in March 1855 would be controlled by free-soilers and ban slavery. This was viewed as a breach of faith by Atchison and his supporters. An angry Atchison called on pro-slavery Missourians to uphold slavery by force and "to kill every God-damned abolitionist in the district" if necessary. He recruited an immense mob of heavily armed Missourians, the infamous " Border Ruffians ". On

1798-642: The Lawrence, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area , which is also included in the Kansas City - Overland Park - Kansas City , MO -KS Combined Statistical Area . For millennia , the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans . From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America . In 1762, after the French and Indian War , France secretly ceded New France to Spain , per

1860-593: The Missouri army reluctantly left the area. Aside from Dow, the Wakarusa War claimed only one other life: that of Free State settler and abolitionist Thomas Barber, who, on his way to the defense of Lawrence, had been shot by the Pottawatomi Indian Agent George W. Clarke during an ambush. Barber's death was memorialized in a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier titled Burial of Barber . Douglas County, Kansas Douglas County

1922-548: The US Senate in December 1845, they chose Atchison as president pro tempore, placing him second in succession for the presidency. He also was responsible for presiding over the Senate when the vice president was absent. At 38, he was a young man with low seniority in the Senate after two years to gain such a position. In 1849 Atchison stepped down as president pro tempore in favor of William R. King . King in turn yielded

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1984-517: The United States . This belief, however, is dismissed by most scholars. Atchison, owner of many slaves and a plantation , was a prominent pro-slavery activist and Border Ruffian leader, deeply involved with violence against abolitionists and other free-staters during the " Bleeding Kansas " events that preceded admission of the state to the Union. Atchison was born to William Atchison and his wife in Frogtown (later Kirklevington), which

2046-439: The area of Lecompton, Kanwaka , and Clinton townships; Washington took the place of Marion and Willow Springs townships; Wakarusa comprised both Wakarusa and Eudora townships; and Calhoun was the original name of Palmyra township. Grant township was annexed from Jefferson County in 1874. David Rice Atchison American Civil War David Rice Atchison (August 11, 1807 – January 26, 1886)

2108-441: The auspices of a "bogus" pro-slavery government elected in opposition to a Free-State government simultaneously operating in Lawrence. Such dual governments had become widespread in Kansas in the preceding year as a result of political tensions surrounding the territory's anticipated statehood. Coleman argued that he had been acting in self-defense when he killed Dow, and simultaneously sought an arrest warrant for one of Dow's friends,

2170-508: The best efforts of Atchison and the Ruffians, Kansas rejected slavery and finally became a free state in 1861. Charles Sumner, in the epic "Crimes Against Kansas" speech on May 19, 1856, exposed Atchison's role in the invasion, tortures, and killings in Kansas. Speaking in the flamboyant style he and others used, lacing his prose with references to Roman history, Sumner compared Atchison to Roman Senator Catiline , who betrayed his country in

2232-448: The country dominated by college towns. In 2004, John Kerry became only the second Democrat to win a majority of the county's vote. Since then, Douglas County has been one of the most Democratic counties in Kansas. In 2016 and 2020, for instance, Donald Trump turned in the worst showings on record for a Republican in the county without the presence of a credible third-party challenger on the ballot. The county overwhelmingly voted "No" on

2294-672: The county include the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin City every third full weekend in October. Lecompton 's Territorial Days take place every year in June and Lawrence has many parades throughout the year including Christmas and St. Patrick's Day . Other major highways include: Douglas County also maintains an extensive network of county highways to serve the rural areas of the county. None of these county highways

2356-409: The county was 86.1% White , 4.2% Black or African American , 2.6% Native American , 3.1% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 1.2% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population. There were 38,486 households , out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 8.5% had

2418-531: The county. Democratic state representatives representing portions of the county include Eileen Horn (10th District), Barbara Ballard (44th District), Mike Amyx (45th District), and Dennis Highberger (46th District); Republican state representatives include Jim Karleskint (42nd District), and Ken Corbet (54th District). The three state senators representing the county, Marci Francisco (2nd District), Tom Holland (3rd District), and Anthony Hensley (19th District), are all Democrats. Douglas County has

2480-624: The duration of the war. After the war he retired to his farm near Gower . He denied many of his pro-slavery public statements made prior to the Civil War. Then, his retirement cottage outside of Plattsburg, Missouri burned to the ground before his death in 1886. This entailed the complete loss of his library containing books, documents, and letters which documented his role in the Mormon War, Indian affairs, pro-slavery activities, Civil War activities, and other legislation covering his career as

2542-706: The election day, March 30, 1855, Atchison led 5,000 Border Ruffians into Kansas. They seized control of all polling places at gunpoint, cast tens of thousands of fraudulent votes for pro-slavery candidates, and elected a pro-slavery legislature. The outrage was nonetheless accepted by the Federal government. When Territorial Governor Andrew Reeder objected, he was fired by President Franklin Pierce . Despite this show of force, far more free-soilers than pro-slavery settlers migrated to Kansas. There were continual raids and ambushes by both sides in " Bleeding Kansas ". In spite of

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2604-601: The genesis of the Wakarusa War in particular dates to November 21, 1855, when a pro-slavery settler named Franklin Coleman shot and killed a Free-Stater named Charles Dow . The murder was the culmination of a long-simmering feud between the two, as for some time they had argued about a land claim near Hickory Point, located about 14 miles (23 km) south of Lawrence. According to the Border War Encyclopedia , "Politics had not motivated Coleman to kill Dow, but

2666-453: The men are to kill and draw blood, told the men they will be "well paid," and encouraged them to plunder from the homes that they invaded. That was after the hundreds of dozens of tortures and killings that Sumner had detailed in his Crimes Against Kansas speech. In other words, things were about to get much worse since Atchison had his hired men from Texas. Atchison's Senate term expired on March 3, 1855. He sought election to another term, but

2728-452: The men promise to kill and "draw blood," and boasts of his flag, which was red in color for "Southern Rights" and the color of blood. They would press "to blood" the spread of slavery into Kansas. He revealed in this speech that the immediate goal of the invasion was to stop the newspaper in Lawrence from publishing anti-slavery material. Atchison's men had made it a crime to publish anti-slavery newspapers in Kansas. Atchison made it clear

2790-487: The morning and said jocularly that as I was President of the United States he wanted me to appoint him as secretary of state. I made no pretense to the office, but if I was entitled in it I had one boast to make, that not a woman or a child shed a tear on account of my removing any one from office during my incumbency of the place. A great many such questions are liable to arise under our form of government. Atchison died on January 26, 1886, at his home near Gower, Missouri at

2852-637: The murder marked the genesis of the violent political divisions that characterized Kansas for the next 10 years." According to one contemporary account, Coleman was a former abolitionist who had only turned pro-slavery after moving to Kansas. His dispute with Dow intensified when he trespassed on Dow's property and Dow reproved him. Shortly after, Coleman and his friends met Dow at a local blacksmith's shop, where Coleman ultimately shot him. Dow's Free-Stater friends rallied in anger. Coleman fled, but he soon gave himself up to Douglas County Sheriff Samuel J. Jones of Westport, Missouri . Jones had become sheriff under

2914-616: The nation. In 1854 Atchison helped found the town of Atchison, Kansas , as a pro-slavery settlement. The town (and county) were named for him. While Southerners supported the idea of settling Kansas, few migrated there. Most free-soilers preferred Kansas to Nebraska. Furthermore, anti-slavery activists throughout the North came to view Kansas as a battleground and formed societies to encourage free-soil settlers to go to Kansas, to ensure there would be enough voters in both Kansas and Nebraska to approve their entry as free states. It appeared as if

2976-545: The oath of office before any official acts, the prevailing view is that presidential succession does not depend on the oath. Even supposing that an oath were necessary, Atchison never took it, so he was no more the president than Taylor. In September 1872, Atchison, who never himself claimed that he was technically president, told a reporter for the Plattsburg Lever : It was in this way: Polk went out of office on March 3, 1849, on Saturday at 12 noon. The next day,

3038-530: The office back to Atchison in December 1852, after being elected Vice President of the United States. Atchison continued as president pro tempore until December 1854. As a senator, Atchison was a fervent advocate of slavery and territorial expansion. He supported the annexation of Texas and the U.S.-Mexican War . Atchison and Thomas Hart Benton , Missouri's other senator, became rivals and finally enemies, although both were Democrats. Benton declared himself to be against slavery in 1849. In 1851 Atchison allied with

3100-619: The pro-slavery faction to seethe with anger. Within a matter of days, the governor of the Kansas Territory, Wilson Shannon , called for the Kansas militia to settle the issue; Shannon had intended for the militia to be composed of Kansans, but Jones rallied a small army of between 700 and 1,500 men (sources vary), almost all of whom were from Missouri. This group, which included forces raised by David Rice Atchison and Benjamin Franklin Stringfellow , obtained arms from

3162-582: The secession crisis in Missouri at the beginning of the American Civil War , Atchison sided with Missouri's pro-Confederate governor, Claiborne Jackson . He was appointed a major general in the Missouri State Guard . Atchison actively recruited State Guardsmen in northern Missouri and served with Guard commander General Sterling Price in the summer campaign of 1861. In September 1861, Atchison led 3,500 State Guard recruits across

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3224-458: The southern route (from New Orleans through Texas and New Mexico ). Naturally, his suggested route went through Atchison. Atchison and his law partner Doniphan fell out over politics in 1859–1861, disagreeing on how Missouri should proceed. Atchison favored secession, while Doniphan was torn and would remain for the most part non-committal. Privately Doniphan favored the Union, but found it difficult to oppose his friends and associates. During

3286-465: The state arsenal at Liberty, Missouri , crossed the Kansas border, and made its way to Lawrence, preparing to eradicate the Free-Staters. During the siege, the main body of the invaders were encamped near the small pro-slavery settlement Franklin , located to the southeast of Lawrence, although others camped near the territorial capital of Lecompton . The invading army was indifferently armed as

3348-434: The vote in every election between 1920 and 1960 (except 1932 when Herbert Hoover received 58.7 percent). This tradition was broken in 1964, when the conservative sentiment and Western origins of Barry Goldwater drove the county into Lyndon B. Johnson 's hands, making Johnson the first Democrat ever to carry the county. Even then, however, Goldwater managed 45 percent of the county's vote. With more moderate GOP candidates,

3410-462: Was acting president of the United States . Historians, constitutional scholars and biographers dismiss the claim. They point out that Atchison's Senate term had also ended on March 4. When the Senate of the new Congress convened on March 5 to allow new senators and the new vice president to take the oath of office, the secretary of the Senate called members to order, as the Senate had no president pro tempore. Although an incoming president must take

3472-414: Was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 37,547, and the median income for a family was $ 53,991. Males had a median income of $ 35,577 versus $ 27,225 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 19,952. About 6.2% of families and 15.9% of the population were below

3534-759: Was a mid-19th-century Democratic United States Senator from Missouri . He served as president pro tempore of the United States Senate for six years. Atchison served as a major general in the Missouri State Militia in 1838 during Missouri's Mormon War and as a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War under Major General Sterling Price in the Missouri Home Guard. Some of Atchison's associates claimed that for 24 hours—Sunday, March 4, 1849, through noon on Monday—he may have been acting president of

3596-635: Was appointed a major general in the state militia . He took part in suppressing violence by both sides. Active in the Democratic Party, in 1838 Atchison was re-elected to the Missouri State House of Representatives. In 1841, he was appointed a circuit court judge for the six-county area of the Platte Purchase. In 1843 he was named a county commissioner in Platte County , where he then lived. In October 1843, Atchison

3658-404: Was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy left by the death of Lewis F. Linn . He was the first senator from western Missouri to serve in this position. At age 36, he was the youngest senator from Missouri up to that time. Atchison was re-elected to a full term on his own account in 1849. Atchison was very popular with his fellow Senate Democrats. When the Democrats took control of

3720-564: Was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state . In 1855, Douglas County was established. Douglas County was opened for settlement on May 15, 1854, and was named for Stephen A. Douglas , a senator from Illinois . The county was practically at the center of the Bleeding Kansas years as leaders in Lecompton (the territorial capital) wanted Kansas to be a slave state, whereas leaders in Lawrence wanted Kansas to be

3782-404: Was put in charge of the city's troops, and the future state senator James Lane was appointed as his second-in-command. Lawrence was also aided by the abolitionist John Brown and his sons. After about a week, the Free-Staters eventually sent an emissary to Shannon, who was briefed in regards to the situation. The news distressed him, so he journeyed to Lawrence to see the situation for himself and

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3844-495: Was quite startled by what he saw. He immediately called representatives from the Missouri army and Lawrence militia before him and urged them to sign a peace treaty. Such an agreement was finally made in December 1855 between Robinson and Lane (who represented the Free-Staters) and David Rice Atchison (who represented the pro-slavers). After much persuasion (which, according to Frank W. Blackmar, "was not easily accomplished"),

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