When Clay County was created as Arkansas's 67th county on 24 March 1873 (along withBaxter County), it was named Clayton County afterJohn M. Clayton, then a member of theArkansas Senate and a brother of then-U.S. SenatorPowell Clayton,[3] though some sources suggest it may have been named for Powell Clayton instead.[4]
Two years later on 6 December 1875,[5] the county's name was shortened to "Clay" by theArkansas General Assembly. Some claim it was renamed for the statesmanHenry Clay,[3][4] while others say John M. Clayton remained its official namesake.[6] The name change apparently was inspired by lingering distrust of Powell Clayton, as he had declaredmartial law and suspended elections in the county in 1868 when he wasGovernor of Arkansas and it was still part ofGreene County.[3]
The firstcounty seat was Corning,[7] established in 1873, with the arrival of theSt. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, as the first incorporated town in the county. The county seat was moved to Boydsville in 1877, in what was known as "Old Bradshaw Field", because people living east of the Black and Cache Rivers had difficulty getting to Corning during the flood season. However, this caused problems for those living west of the rivers, and in 1881 Corning was re-established as the seat of the Western District, with Boydsville remaining the seat for the Eastern District. With the arrival of theSt. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railroad in 1882, other towns such as Greenway, Rector and Piggott experienced growth. In 1887, the Eastern District seat was moved to Piggott, and the dual county seat system remains in place today.[8] Important county functions (such as the Quorum Court) alternate between Piggott and Corning as their venues.
In the early 20th century, Clay,Greene, andCraighead counties hadsundown town policies forbidding African Americans from living in the area.[9]
On 6 April 1972,SheriffDouglas Batey and deputiesGlen Ray Archer andTroy Key were shot and killed while trying to respond to a domestic disturbance call on Bert Grissom. Grissom opened fire as soon as the men stepped out of their car. He later surrendered without resistance to another deputy, and was tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison.William Thomas Pond became sheriff, but he died in an automobile accident on 8 June 1973. Four of the five police officers who have lost their lives serving the Clay County Sheriff's Office died in these two incidents.[citation needed]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 641 square miles (1,660 km2), of which 639 square miles (1,660 km2) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2) (0.3%) is water.[10]
As of the2000 census,[19] there were 17,609 people, 7,417 households, and 5,073 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 28 people per square mile (11 people/km2). There were 8,498 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5.0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.1%White, 0.2%Black orAfrican American, 0.7%Native American, 0.1%Asian, 0.2% fromother races, and 0.1% from two or more races. 0.8% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 7,417 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% weremarried couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,345, and the median income for a family was $32,558. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $17,146 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,512. About 13.4% of families and 17.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 22.7% of those age 65 or over.
The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by theConstitution of Arkansas and theArkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called justices of the peace and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Clay County Quorum Court has nine members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.[20][21]
Clay County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials[22][23]
Position
Officeholder
Party
County Judge
Mike Patterson
Democratic
County Clerk
Tyler Wyss
Republican
Circuit Clerk
Angela Self
Republican
Sheriff/Collector
Ronnie Cole
Republican
Treasurer
Brande Boyd
Republican
Assessor
Tracy Gurley
Republican
Coroner
Jerrod Daniel Lowe
Republican
District Judge: David Copelin
The composition of the Quorum Court after the 2024 elections is 7 Republicans and 2 Democrats. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:[24][25]
District 1: Neal Smith (R)
District 2: Joseph C. Henderson (D)
District 3: Patrick Patterson (R)
District 4: D. David Cagle (R)
District 5: Brad Green (R)
District 6: Dennis Haines (R)
District 7: Randy Kingston (R)
District 8: George E. Lowe (D)
District 9: David Hatcher (R)
Additionally, the townships of Clay County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by theConstitution of Arkansas. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult.[26] The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:[24][27]
While Clay County was once a Democratic stronghold, in recent decades it has swung hard towards the Republicans. The county voted Democratic in every presidential election from Reconstruction until 1960 with comfortable margins. It shifted back and forth during the latter part of the 20th century, with four Republican wins in 1960, 1968, 1972, and 1984. Since 1992, however, the county has shifted to the right in every presidential election. Flipping red in 2004, each successive Republican has garnered a greater share of the vote, culminating in Donald Trump's nearly 80% win in 2024, the highest share ever for a Republican candidate.
United States presidential election results for Clay County, Arkansas[28]
Agriculture is the cornerstone of Clay County's economy. Farmers throughout the county grow a wide variety of crops.Rice is the dominant crop, but significant amounts ofcotton,soybeans,corn,hay, andmilo are also grown. Industry is limited to a handful of factories located in the cities ofPiggott,Corning, andRector.
Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, theUnited States census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Clay County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/orcensus-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.[31][32]
^Neville, A. W. (2 March 1945)."Backward Glances".The Paris News. Paris, Texas. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.On the survey fromBird's Point, Mo., toJonesboro, Ark., I had a Negro cook. As Negroes were not allowed to live in Clay, Greene and Craighead Counties, Ark., my cook was a curiosity to the children. The women used to bring the children to camp to see him.
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
