Lee County is the southernmost

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,555. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

s are

Fort Madison Fort Madison is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, Lee County, Iowa, United States along with Keokuk, Iowa, Keokuk. Of Iowa's 99 counties, Lee County is the only one with two county seats. The population was 10,270 at the time of ...

and Keokuk: It is the only county in Iowa with more than one

. Lee County is part of the Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA– IL– MO Micropolitan Statistical Area. It was established in 1836.

History

dates to the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Lee County was the location of the Half-Breed Tract, established by treaty in 1824. Allocations of land were made to American Indian descendants of European fathers and Indian mothers at this tract. Originally the land was to be held in common. Some who had an allocation lived in cities, where they hoped to make better livings. Lee County as a named entity was formed on December 7, 1836, under the jurisdiction of

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

. It would become a part of Iowa Territory when it was formed on July 4, 1838. Large-scale European-American settlement in the area began in 1839, after Congress allowed owners to sell land individually. Members of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) under the direction of

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

fled persecutions in Missouri to settle in Illinois and Iowa. Nauvoo, across the border in

Hancock County, Illinois Hancock County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it has a population of 17,620. Its county seat is Carthage, Illinois, Carthage, and its largest city is H ...

, became the main center of Latter-day Saints settlement, but there was also a Latter Day Saints stake organized in Lee County under the direction of John Smith, the uncle of

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...

, land that was sold to them by Isaac Galland in 1839. Lee has two

s—

and Keokuk. The latter was established in 1847 when disagreements led to a second court jurisdiction. Lee County's population grew to about 19,000 in 1850, the first US census, to 37,000 per the 3rd census in 1870, peaking at 44,000 people in 1960. It has continuously decreased since and as of 2020, 33,555 people lived there, comparable to the years between 1860 and 1870.

Name

There is no consensus about the derivation of the name "Lee." It has been variously proposed that the county was named for Marsh, Delevan & Lee, of

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, and the 'New York Land Company', who owned extensive interests in the Half-Breed Tract in the 1830s;

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

, who surveyed the Des Moines Rapids; or Albert Lea, who helped explore the interior of Iowa.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.0%) is water. The lowest point in the state of Iowa is located on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

in Keokuk in Lee County, where it flows out of Iowa and into

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 61 * U.S. Highway 136 * U.S. Highway 218 *

Iowa Highway 2 Iowa Highway 2 (Iowa 2) is a Iowa Primary Highway System, state highway which runs across the southernmost tier of counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. At no point along its route is Iowa 2 more than from the Missouri state line, except ...

* Iowa Highway 16 * Iowa Highway 27

Transit

* Fort Madison station

Adjacent counties

* Henry County (north) * Des Moines County (northeast) *

Henderson County, Illinois Henderson County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it has a population of 6,387. Its county seat is Oquawka, Illinois, Oquawka. Henderson County is part of the ...

(across the river east) *

(southeast) *

Clark County, Missouri Clark County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 6,634. Its county seat is Kahoka, Missouri, Kahoka. The county was organized Decembe ...

(southwest) * Van Buren County (west)

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 33,555 in the county, with a population density of . 94.67% of the population reported being of one race. There were 15,858 housing units, of which 14,036 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 35,862 with a population density of . There were 16,205 housing units, of which only 14,610 were occupied.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 38,052 people, 15,161 households, and 10,248 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 16,612 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.24%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.80%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.26% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.03% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 2.37% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 15,161 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.70% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.93. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,193, and the median income for a family was $42,658. Males had a median income of $32,286 versus $21,821 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $18,430. About 7.10% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.60% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Donnellson *

* Franklin * Houghton * Keokuk * Montrose * St. Paul *

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

Census-designated places

* Argyle *

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

* Mooar * Sandusky * Wever

Other unincorporated communities

* Charleston * Croton * Mount Hamill * New Boston * Pilot Grove * Primrose * Viele *

Vincennes Vincennes (; ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Vincennes is famous for its castle: the Château de Vincennes. It is next to but does not include the ...

Townships

* Cedar * Charleston *

Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

* Franklin * Green Bay * Harrison *

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

* Jefferson * Madison * Marion * Montrose * Pleasant Ridge * Van Buren * Washington *

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Lee County. † ''county seat''

Notable people

Cleng Peerson Cleng Peerson (17 May 1783 – 16 December 1865) was a Norwegian emigrant to the United States; his voyage in 1824 was the precursor for the boat load of 52 Norwegian emigrants in the following year. That boat load was a precursor for the main wav ...

(1783–1865), pioneer settler in Lee County in 1840 * Richard Proenneke (1916–2003),

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, subject of books and documentary * William Elliott Whitmore (born 1978), singer and songwriter * Mark W. Balmert, U.S. Navy

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

* Brad Bigler, head men's basketball coach at SMSU * Ryan Bowen,

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player * James Duderstadt, President of the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

* Todd Farmer, writer, actor, and film producer * Bob Fry,

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

Kate Harrington Kate Harrington (December 8, 1902 – November 23, 1978) was an American television and movie actress. Born and raised in Boise, Idaho, Harrington studied dramatics at the Bush Conservatory in Chicago. Three years later she was given her firs ...

, poet * Thomas M. Hoenig, chief executive of the Tenth District Federal Reserve Bank, in Kansas City * Patty Judge, 46th lieutenant governor * Jerry Junkins, CEO of Texas Instruments, Incorporated * Dick Klein, founder of the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

Dennis O'Keefe Dennis O'Keefe (born Edward Vance Flanagan; March 29, 1908 – August 31, 1968) was an American actor. Early years O'Keefe was born in Fort Madison, Iowa, as Edward Vance Flanagan, the son of Edward J. Flanagan and Charlotte Flanagan ( ...

, actor, star of films such as '' Raw Deal'' * James Theodore Richmond, writer and conservationist * Aloysius Schulte, first President of St. Ambrose College * Walter A. Sheaffer, founder of the W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company * George Henry Williams,

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

* Edward P. Alexander, author, historian, and educator * Herman C. Baehr, 36th Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio * William H. Clagett, politician *

Orion Clemens Orion Clemens (July 17, 1825 – December 11, 1897) was the first and only Secretary of the Nevada Territory. His younger brother Samuel Langhorne Clemens became an author under the pen name Mark Twain. Early life Born in Gainesboro, Tennessee ...

, first and only secretary of Nevada Territory and brother of Mark Twain *

William Lane Craig William Lane Craig (; born August 23, 1949) is an American Analytic philosophy, analytic philosopher, Christian apologetics, Christian apologist, author, and theologian. He is a professor of philosophy at Houston Christian University and at the T ...

, analytic philosopher and Christian apologist * Samuel Curtis, military officer *

Mary Fels Mary Fels (, Fels; March 10, 1863 - May 16, 1953) was a German-born American philanthropist, Georgism, Georgist, Zionism, Zionist, Women's suffrage in the United States, suffragist, economics, economist, author, and journal editor. She was interest ...

, philanthropist, suffragist, Georgist * Bud Fowler, first professional African American baseball player * Nathaniel Lyon Gardner, botanist, born in Keokuk"Nathaniel Lyon Gardner, Botany: Berkeley"
University of California: In Memoriam, 1937. * Jerry Harrington, baseball player * James B. Howell, newspaper editor and U.S. senator, resided in Keokuk *

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

, aviator, engineer, industrialist, film producer and director, and philanthropist * Howard R. Hughes, Sr., businessman and inventor; father of Howard Hughes * Rupert Hughes, novelist, screenwriter, film director, historian; uncle of Howard Hughes *

Dick Hutcherson Richard Leon Hutcherson (November 30, 1931 – November 6, 2005) was an American businessman and a former stock car racer. A native of Keokuk, Iowa, Keokuk, Iowa, Hutcherson drove in NASCAR competition from 1964 to 1967. He won 14 races, finishin ...

, stock car driver * Ron Hutcherson, stock car driver * John N. Irwin, governor of Idaho Territory (1883) and of Arizona Territory (1890–1892) * Edward Kimball, actor *

Lloyd Steel Lourie Lloyd Steel Lourie (September 3, 1877 – March 12, 1959) was an American orthodontist who attended Angle School of Orthodontia in St. Louis and graduated in 1900. He served as president of American Association of Orthodontists for two terms in 1 ...

, orthodontist * Samuel Taylor Marshall, lawyer and founder of

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, , it consist ...

fraternity * Elsa Maxwell, gossip columnist, socialite *

Edward Joseph McManus Edward Joseph McManus (February 9, 1920 – March 20, 2017) served as the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa and served as a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa ...

, U.S. federal judge and lieutenant governor of Iowa (1959–1961) *

Grace Medes Grace Medes (November 9, 1886 – December 31, 1967) was an American biochemist, who discovered tyrosinosis—a metabolic disorder today known as tyrosinemia—and studied fatty acid metabolism. She was awarded the Garvan-Olin Medal in 1955 for ...

, biochemist *

Samuel Freeman Miller Samuel Freeman Miller (April 5, 1816 – October 13, 1890) was an American lawyer and physician who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, U.S. Supreme ...

, Supreme Court justice *

Conrad Nagel John Conrad Nagel (March 16, 1897 – February 24, 1970) was an American film, stage, television and radio actor. He was considered a famous matinée idol and leading man of the 1920s and 1930s. He was given an Honorary Academy Award in 1940, a ...

, actor and a founder of the Academy Awards *

Richard Page Richard Lewis Page (born 22 February 1941) is a former Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979, and from 1979 to 2005. Early life Born the so ...

, lead vocalist and bass player for the band Mr. Mister * George Pomutz, Union Army officer and diplomat * Mike Pyle, NFL player *

Palmer Pyle William Palmer Pyle Jr. (June 6, 1937 – September 30, 2021) was an American professional football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). He played a total of six seasons for the NFL's Ba ...

, NFL player * John M. Rankin, Iowa state legislator and judge * Hugh T. Reid, Union Army general *

Jack Saltzgaver Otto Hamlin "Jack" Saltzgaver (January 23, 1903 – February 1, 1978) was an American professional baseball player. The native of Croton, Iowa, as an infielder, appeared in 278 Major League Baseball games for the New York Yankees (1932; 1934� ...

, Major League Baseball player, New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates *

Jeremy Soule Jeremy Soule ( ; born December 19, 1975) is an American composer of soundtracks for film, television, and video games. He has composed soundtracks for over 60 games and over a dozen other works during his career, including ''The Elder Scrolls'', ...

composer of video game soundtracks *

Frank Steunenberg Frank Steunenberg (August 8, 1861December 30, 1905) was the fourth governor of the State of Idaho, serving from 1897 until 1901. He was assassinated in 1905 by onetime union member Harry Orchard, who was also a paid informant for the Cripple ...

, governor of Idaho (1897–1901) * Ramo Stott, stock car driver * James Vandenberg, football quarterback * Don White, stock car driver * Verner Moore White, artist, painted oil of Keokuk presented to President Theodore Roosevelt * Annie Turner Wittenmyer, social reformer and relief worker

Politics

In recent presidential elections, Lee County had a strong Democratic lean, voting for the party's candidate in every election from 1984 to 2012. In 2016 however, the county swung hard to vote for Republican

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

by a wide margin, a swing of over 31 points compared to 2012.

Education

School districts include: * Central Lee Community School District * Fort Madison Community School District * Keokuk Community School District * Mount Pleasant Community School District * Van Buren County Community School District Former school districts: * Harmony Community School District
Text list
/ref>

References

External links

Lee County government's website
{{coord, 40, 38, 34, N, 91, 28, 28, W, region:US-IA_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki, display=title Lee County, Iowa 1836 establishments in Wisconsin Territory Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA-IL-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area Iowa counties on the Mississippi River Populated places established in 1836