Swanson County is a defunct
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
. It was created from southern
Kiowa County and western
Comanche County on August 13, 1910, after a special election, but dissolved after a decision by the Oklahoma Supreme Court overturned the election in 1911. The county was named for
Claude A. Swanson
Claude Augustus Swanson (March 31, 1862July 7, 1939) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Virginia. He served as U.S. Representative (1893-1906), Governor of Virginia (1906-1910), and U.S. Senator from Virginia (1910-1933), befor ...
, Governor of Virginia and a friend of Oklahoma Governor
Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell (March 13, 1860 – July 5, 1933) was an American lawyer, oilman, and politician who was the first governor of Oklahoma. As a delegate to Oklahoma's constitutional convention in 1906, he played a crucial role in draftin ...
.
[Smith, Emily B]
"Swanson County,"
''Chronicles of Oklahoma'' 9:4 (December 1931) (accessed August 29, 2006).
History
On May 10, 1910, a special election was held in southern Kiowa County and western Comanche County to approve the formation of a new county that could more effectively serve residents of that area. Although more than 60 percent of the overall residents approved the measure, a majority of Comanche County Residents voted against it.
[Linda D. Wilson, "Swanson County." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Accessed October 4, 2012.](_blank)
/ref> Governor Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell (March 13, 1860 – July 5, 1933) was an American lawyer, oilman, and politician who was the first governor of Oklahoma. As a delegate to Oklahoma's constitutional convention in 1906, he played a crucial role in draftin ...
officially proclaimed Swanson County's formation on August 13, 1910 and designated Mountain Park, Oklahoma as the temporary county seat. In January 1911, the state House of Representatives seated James V. McClintic as the representative from Swanson County.
The location of the county seat in Mountain Park was hotly contested by a group of residents who favored Snyder as the seat. They claimed that Mountain Park lacked a public water system, fire protection and suitable office space for county government. A rainstorm that soaked official county documents seemed to prove their point. Legal action was brought to resolve the dispute. On September 5, 1910, a group from Snyder simply removed the records to their town. A group of Mountain Park supporters retaliated by invading the homes of county officials and arresting these men at gunpoint. During this action, an employee of one of the county commissioners was killed. On March 7, 1911, the Supreme Court restored Mountain Park as the county seat and ordered that the county records be moved to Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
, the seat of Kiowa County.
Meanwhile, officials of Comanche County challenged the Governor's proclamation in the District Court, arguing that the new county had not been approved by residents in their county. That court ruled in for dissolution, but the case was appealed to the state Supreme Court ('' Armstrong v. State ex rel. Fain co. Atty''). On June 27, 1911, the Oklahoma Supreme Court dissolved the county.Armstrong v. State ex rel. Fain Co. Atty.
1911 OK 225, 29 Okla. 161, 116 P. 770. (accessed August 29, 2006)
Following the extinction of Swanson County,
Cotton County was created from southern Comanche County in 1912.
See also
*
Beckham County, Kentucky
Beckham County, Kentucky was a county formed by the Kentucky General Assembly on February 9, 1904. Beckham County was created in the northeastern part of the state from parts of Carter, Elliott, and Lewis counties. The county seat was Olive Hill. ...
, another county disestablished by judicial order soon after its creation
References
{{Coord, 34.7, N, 98.9, W, format=dec, display=title, type:adm2nd_scale:500000_region:US-OK
Former counties of Oklahoma
History of Oklahoma
1910 establishments in Oklahoma
1911 disestablishments in Oklahoma