Duval County's development began during the Viceroyalty ofNew Spain (1521–1821). In 1804, six years before FatherMiguel Hidalgo y Costilla launched Mexico's successful independence movement from Spain, Jose Faustino Contreras,surveyor general ofSan Luis Potosi, charted the county's landscape, which attracted colonists fromMier,Tamaulipas.
On February 1, 1858, theTexas Legislature established Duval County. TheTexas Almanac of 1867 reported that Duval and nearbyDimmit County had only four stock raisers and their population was unlikely to grow much, absent the discovery of mineral wealth. Not long after, a wave of Anglo immigrants entered the county to raise sheep. Englishmen, Frenchmen, Germans, Irishmen, and Scots came. During this boom, the county seat enjoyed formal balls andhaute cuisine. The Hotel Martinet's Sunday feast drew patrons fromCorpus Christi, 50 miles (80 km) to the East.
The death rate rivaledTombstone, Arizona's. Although some died under thecode duello, most of Duval County's deaths were murders that primarily victimized the legacy Spanish-speaking population. When a great pile of cowhides presumed to have come from stolen animals was discovered near the county line, a vigilante group from Duval andMcMullen County lynched 15 Spanish-speaking Texans there.
In April of 1878, a large Indian raid carried out by theKickapoo,Seminole, andLipan Apache ended up in the deaths of more than 10 people.
Prosperity in the 1880s placated Anglo animosity. When theTexas Mexican Railway began operating in 1881, its San Diego station served as an important hub for trading hides, wool and cotton, but the boom evaporated when sheep began dying during theWinter of 1886–1887, triggering theSheep Wars that once again primarily victimized the legacy Spanish-speaking population.
During the twentieth century, the Parr family established a political machine that dominated politics in Duval and nearby Jim Wells counties. The family was instrumental in the 1948 election ofLyndon B. Johnson to the US Senate,[5][6] and influenced the outcome of the1960 presidential election which threw Texas toJohn F. Kennedy.[7]
State Highway 16, Duval County, Texas, USA. (April 16, 2016)
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,796 square miles (4,650 km2), of which 1,793 square miles (4,640 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (0.1%) is water.[8] The county overlies the Piedras Pintassalt dome,[9][10] scheduled for athydrogen storage.[11]
Duval County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of thecensus[18] of 2000, there were 13,120 people, 4,350 households, and 3,266 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 7 people per square mile (2.7 people/km2). There were 5,543 housing units at an average density of 3 units per square mile (1.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 80.22%White, 0.54%Black orAfrican American, 0.53%Native American, 0.11%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 15.46% fromother races, and 3.11% from two or more races. 87.99% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 4,350 households, out of which 36.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.20% weremarried couples living together, 16.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.40.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.50% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 100.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $22,416, and the median income for a family was $26,014. Males had a median income of $25,601 versus $16,250 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $11,324. About 23.00% of families and 27.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 35.90% of those under age 18 and 25.30% of those age 65 or over.
Duval County was a longtimeDemocratic stronghold like most of heavily Hispanic South Texas. In the1964,[19]1968[20] and1972 presidential elections, Duval was the most Democratic county in the country.[21] In2004, the county voted for DemocratJohn F. Kerry ofMassachusetts by a strong margin despiteGeorge W. Bush's 22.87 percent margin of victory in the state. From1956 to2012, the Democratic candidate consistently received more than seventy percent of the county's vote. After 2012, the county's voters began to trend towards the Republican Party; the Democratic margin of victory decreased by 18.9 percentage points from 2012 to2016, and by 32.6 percentage points from 2016 to2020, with 2020 Democratic presidential nomineeJoe Biden winning the county by only 2.6 percent, the narrowest-ever Democratic victory in the county. In2024,Donald Trump was the firstRepublican to carry the county sinceTheodore Roosevelt in1904.[22] Overall, Duval County shifted to the right from 2012 to 2024 by 64 percentage points, representing one of the strongest such rightward shifts for any county in the country.[23]
United States presidential election results for Duval County, Texas[24]
Duval County is notorious for corrupt politics, particularly during the early and mid-20th century, when it was largely controlled by thepolitical machine ofTexas State SenatorArchie Parr and his sonGeorge Parr, each in his turn calledEl Patrón or the "Duke of Duval".[27] Givens Parr had beencounty judge before his younger brother George. George was later electedsheriff. Archer Parr III, George's nephew and adopted brother, later held both those offices.[28] Meanwhile, thenTexas Attorney GeneralJohn Ben Shepperd brought some 300 state indictments against county and school officials.
^Lynch, Dudley M. (January 1, 1976). The Duke of Duval: The Life and Times of George B. Parr. Waco: Texian Press. pp 8-10.ISBN978-0-87244-044-9. LCCN 76-54438. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
^Givens, Murphy (September 7, 2011)."George Parr inherited his father's political dynasty".Corpus Christi Caller Times. RetrievedApril 13, 2013.Stevenson also challenged the results in Duval County, where the vote totals also changed dramatically after the election. On election night in Duval County, the county chairman reported Johnson with 4,187 votes, Stevenson with 38. Six days later, the official canvass increased that to 4,622 votes for Johnson, 40 for Stevenson. Johnson gained 425 votes and Stevenson 2.
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