124-524: Gentry County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri . As of the 2020 census , the population was 6,162. Its county seat is Albany . The county was organized February 14, 1841 and named for General Richard Gentry of Boone County , who fell in the Seminole War in 1837. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 492 square miles (1,270 km), of which 491 square miles (1,270 km)
248-620: A 501(c)(4) nonprofit connected to Republican campaign strategist Karl Rove , ran commercials giving Hawley credit for identifying the problem, a claim The St. Louis Post-Dispatch labeled misleading. In September 2020, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that of the 16 rape kit tests that were consequently uploaded to the national DNA database, 11 revealed the names of known criminals, and were referred for possible prosecution. In November 2017, Hawley opened an investigation into whether Google 's business practices violated state consumer protection and anti-trust laws. The investigation
372-604: A Senator at the time, narrowly defeated her statewide and later became that year's Democratic nominee, going on to win the presidency. On March 5, 2010, a jury awarded seven neighboring farmers $ 11 million in damages from Premium Standard Farms over odors emanating from a hog farm of 4,300 acres (17 km) that processes 200,000 hogs near Berlin in Gentry County - the largest such award in history. 40°13′N 94°25′W / 40.22°N 94.41°W / 40.22; -94.41 County (United States) In
496-1054: A city , town , or village . A few counties directly provide public transportation themselves, usually in the form of a simple bus system. However, in most counties, public transportation is provided by one of the following: a special district that is coterminous with the county (but exists separately from the county government), a multi-county regional transit authority, or a state agency. In western and southern states, more populated counties provide many facilities, such as airports, convention centers , museums, recreation centers , beaches, harbors, zoos, clinics, law libraries , and public housing . They provide services such as child and family services, elder services, mental health services, welfare services, veterans assistance services, animal control , probation supervision, historic preservation, food safety regulation, and environmental health services. They have many additional officials like public defenders , arts commissioners, human rights commissioners, and planning commissioners. There may be
620-446: A consolidated city-county or independent city exists, a city council usually governs city/county or city affairs. In some counties, day-to-day operations are overseen by an elected county executive or by a chief administrative officer or county administrator who reports to the board, the mayor, or both. In many states, the board in charge of a county holds powers that transcend all three traditional branches of government. It has
744-629: A law clerk to Judge Michael W. McConnell and Chief Justice John Roberts , he worked as a lawyer, first in private practice from 2008 to 2011 and then for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty from 2011 to 2015. Before becoming Missouri attorney general, he was also an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Law , and a faculty member of the conservative Blackstone Legal Fellowship . As Missouri attorney general, Hawley initiated several high-profile lawsuits and investigations, including
868-549: A Black motorist who had taken a wrong turn in Tennessee ran out of gas in rural Mississippi County, Missouri . He had gotten lost and was confused and asked a gas station attendant to call the police for assistance. Deputies responded and put him in the county jail. His mental condition had deteriorated further and he resisted when jail staff, under the command of Sheriff Cory Hutcheson, tried to release him as they had no grounds on which to hold him. Hutcheson, who himself faced and later
992-429: A constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman —it overwhelmingly won in Gentry County with 79.9% of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71% support from voters. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state —it failed in Gentry County with 58.3% voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed
1116-424: A county fire department and a county police department – as distinguished from fire and police departments operated by individual cities, special districts, or the state government. For example, Gwinnett County, Georgia , and its county seat, the city of Lawrenceville , each have their own police departments. (A separate county sheriff's department is responsible for security of the county courts and administration of
1240-594: A deeply religious conservative." At Yale, Hawley was articles editor of the Yale Law Journal , editor of the Yale Law & Policy Review , and president of the school's Federalist Society chapter. Hawley spent two years as a law clerk after law school, clerking first for Judge Michael W. McConnell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit from 2006 to 2007, then for Chief Justice John Roberts of
1364-460: A few counties bear names of Native American , French, or Spanish origin. Counties are most often named for people, often political figures or early settlers, with over 2,100 of the 3,144 total so named. The most common county name, with 31, is Washington County , for America's first president, George Washington . Up until 1871, there was a Washington County within the District of Columbia , but it
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#17328519716741488-520: A household in the county was $ 35,556, and the median income for a family was $ 46,458. Males had a median income of $ 33,558 versus $ 25,815 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 19,021. About 9.30% of families and 14.90% of the population were below the poverty line , including 24.40% of those under age 18 and 15.00% of those age 65 or over. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2010), Gentry County
1612-400: A land area of 20,057 square miles (51,947 km ). The least extensive county is Kalawao County, Hawaii , with a land area of 11.991 square miles (31.058 km ). The least extensive county equivalent in the 50 states is the independent city of Falls Church, Virginia , with a land area of 1.999 square miles (5.177 km ). If U.S. territories are included,
1736-453: A large number of counties, and many Western states were sparsely populated when counties were created by their respective state legislatures. The five counties of Rhode Island and eight of the 14 counties of Massachusetts no longer have functional county governments, but continue to exist as legal and census entities. Connecticut abolished county governments in 1960, leaving its eight counties as mere legal and census entities. In 2022,
1860-532: A lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act , an investigation into Missouri governor Eric Greitens , and a lawsuit and investigation into companies associated with the opioid epidemic . His political beliefs have been described as strongly socially conservative . In December 2020, Hawley became the first senator to announce plans to object to the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 United States presidential election , leading these efforts in
1984-463: A letter calling the investigation "half-hearted". Hawley's spokesperson called the letter a partisan attack. When allegations emerged in January 2018 that Greitens had blackmailed a woman with whom he was having an affair, Hawley's office said it did not have jurisdiction to look into the matter. St. Louis circuit attorney Kimberly Gardner opened an investigation into the allegations. In April, after
2108-882: A matter of U.S. state law , so the specific governmental powers of counties may vary widely between the states, with many providing some level of services to civil townships , municipalities , and unincorporated areas . Certain municipalities are in multiple counties ; New York City is uniquely partitioned into five counties, referred to at the city government level as boroughs . Some municipalities have been consolidated with their county government to form consolidated city-counties , or have been legally separated from counties altogether to form independent cities . Conversely, counties in Connecticut and Rhode Island , eight of Massachusetts's 14 counties , and Alaska's Unorganized Borough have no government power, existing only as geographic distinctions. The United States Census Bureau uses
2232-514: A messaging app that erases texts after they have been read, on their personal phones. They were accused by government transparency advocates of subverting Missouri's open records laws. Hawley initially declined to prosecute, citing a Missouri Supreme Court ruling that the attorney general cannot simultaneously represent a state officer and take legal action against that officer, but on December 20, 2017, he announced his office would investigate after all, saying that his clients are "first and foremost
2356-415: A population over 100,000; 137 counties have a population over 500,000; 45 counties have a population over 1,000,000; and 14 counties have a population over 2,000,000. At the other extreme, 35 counties have a population under 1,000; 307 counties have a population under 5,000; 709 counties have a population under 10,000; and 1,492 counties have a population between 10,000 and 50,000. At the 2000 U.S. Census ,
2480-516: A private jet, calling her "Air Claire". He was, in turn, criticized for accepting a ride on a private jet owned by a Rex Sinquefield lobbyist. In the November 2018 general election, Hawley defeated McCaskill, 51% to 46%. On December 6, 2018, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft launched an inquiry into whether Hawley misappropriated public funds for his Senate campaign. Hawley's office denied any wrongdoing. On February 28, 2019, Ashcroft closed
2604-577: A slim majority of the elected positions in the county. Gentry County is part of the 2nd district in the Missouri House of Representatives , currently held by J. Eggleston (R- Maysville ). Gentry County is a part of Missouri's 12th District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Dan Hegeman (R- Cosby ). All of Gentry County is included in Missouri's 6th Congressional District and
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#17328519716742728-491: A special investigative committee of the Missouri House of Representatives released a report on the allegations, Hawley called on Greitens to resign immediately. The next week, Gardner filed a second felony charge against Greitens, alleging that his campaign had taken donor and email lists from The Mission Continues , a veterans' charity Greitens founded in 2007, and used the information to raise funds for his 2016 campaign for governor. Hawley announced an investigation based on
2852-448: A statement approving of the decision. In February 2018, Hawley joined 20 other Republican-led states in a lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional. Though some argued the lawsuit would eliminate insurance protections for people with preexisting conditions , Hawley said he supported protections for preexisting conditions. In September 2018, amid criticism from Hawley's U.S. Senate opponent Claire McCaskill about
2976-646: A year after being sworn in as attorney general, as during his attorney general campaign, he had put out advertisements criticizing "ladder-climbing politicians". Hawley dismissed this, saying that the Senate was not on his mind during the attorney general campaign. During the campaign, Hawley released his and his wife's tax returns and called on McCaskill to release her and her husband's returns. McCaskill released her returns, which she files separately from her husband. When asked if he thought Trump should release his returns, Hawley did not say. Hawley criticized McCaskill's use of
3100-428: Is Lake . Words from Native American languages, as well as the names of Native American leaders and tribes, lend their names to many counties. Quite a few counties bear names of French or Spanish origin, such as Marquette County being named after French missionary Father Jacques Marquette . The county's equivalent in the state of Louisiana, the parish (Fr. paroisse civile and Sp. parroquia ) took its name during
3224-564: Is 343 sq mi (890 km ), whereas in Utah it is 2,427 sq mi (6,290 km ). The most extensive county or county equivalent is the Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska , with a land area of 145,505 square miles (376,856 km ). All nine of the most extensive county equivalents are in Alaska. The most extensive county is San Bernardino County, California , with
3348-431: Is an unusual case because it encompasses multiple entire counties in one city. Each of those counties is coextensive with one of the five boroughs of the city: Manhattan (New York County), The Bronx (Bronx County), Queens (Queens County), Brooklyn (Kings County), and Staten Island (Richmond County). Josh Hawley Joshua David Hawley (born December 31, 1979) is an American politician and lawyer serving as
3472-433: Is currently represented by Sam Graves (R- Tarkio ) in the U.S. House of Representatives . Graves was elected to an eleventh term in 2020 over Democratic challenger Gena Ross. Gentry County, along with the rest of the state of Missouri, is represented in the U.S. Senate by Josh Hawley (R- Columbia ) and Roy Blunt (R- Strafford ). At the presidential level, Gentry County is solidly Republican. Donald Trump carried
3596-500: Is either done at the state level or at the municipal level. In Connecticut and parts of Massachusetts, regional councils have been established to partially fill the void left behind by the abolished county governments. The regional councils' authority is limited compared with a county government—they have authority only over infrastructure and land use planning, distribution of state and federal funds for infrastructure projects, emergency preparedness, and limited law enforcement duties. In
3720-399: Is greater than the populations of 41 U.S. states, and is only slightly smaller than the combined population of the 10 least populous states and Washington, D.C. It also makes the population of Los Angeles County 17.4 times greater than that of the least populous state, Wyoming. The second most populous county is Cook County, Illinois , with a population of 5,275,541. Cook County's population
3844-547: Is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km) (0.06%) is water. As of the census of 2010, there were 6,738 people, 2,674 households, and 1,789 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (5.4 people/km). There were 3,209 housing units at an average density of 6 units per square mile (2.3/km). The racial makeup of the county was 98.38% White , 0.31% Black or African American , 0.27% Asian , 0.19% Native American , 0.16% from other races , and 0.68% from two or more races. 0.53% of
Gentry County, Missouri - Misplaced Pages Continue
3968-455: Is larger than that of 28 individual U.S. states and the combined populations of the six smallest states. The least populous county is Loving County, Texas , with 64 residents in 2020. Eight county equivalents in the U.S. territories have no human population: Rose Atoll , Northern Islands Municipality , Baker Island , Howland Island , Jarvis Island , Johnston Atoll , Kingman Reef , and Navassa Island . The remaining three islands in
4092-769: Is no formal level of government (municipality, public education, or otherwise) existing below that of the county in the state. In most Midwestern and Northeastern states, counties are further subdivided into townships or towns , which sometimes exercise local powers or administration. Throughout the United States, counties may contain other independent, self-governing municipalities . In New England, counties function at most as judicial court districts and sheriff's departments (presently, in Connecticut only as judicial court districts—and in Rhode Island , they have lost both those functions and most others but they are still used by
4216-410: Is rarely a county responsibility, execution of capital punishment is never a county responsibility, and the state's responses to prisoners' appeals are the responsibility of the state attorney general , who has to defend before the state appellate courts the prosecutions conducted by locally elected district attorneys in the name of the state. Furthermore, county-level trial court judges are officers of
4340-557: Is simultaneously a city, which is a municipality (municipal corporation), and a county, which is an administrative division of a state, having the powers and responsibilities of both types of entities. The city limit or jurisdiction is synonymous with the county line, as the two administrative entities become a non-dichotomous single entity. For this reason, a consolidated city-county is officially remarked as name of city – name of county (i.e., Augusta–Richmond County in Georgia). The same
4464-470: Is sometimes regarded as being on the northern edge of the Bible Belt , with evangelical Protestantism being the most predominant religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Gentry County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (46.29%), United Methodists (18.20%), and Disciples of Christ (13.12%). Political control is divided at the local level in Gentry County. Republicans hold
4588-501: Is true of the boroughs of New York City , each of which is coextensive with a county of New York State. For those entities in which the city uses the same name as the county, city and county of name may be used (i.e., City and County of Denver in Colorado). Similarly, some of Alaska 's boroughs have merged with their principal cities, creating unified city-boroughs. Some such consolidations and mergers have created cities that rank among
4712-634: The Alaska Constitutional Convention wanted to avoid the traditional county system and adopted their own unique model with different types of boroughs varying in powers and duties. In some states, these powers are partly or mostly devolved to the counties' smaller divisions usually called townships , though in New York, New England and Wisconsin they are called "towns". The county may or may not be able to override its townships on certain matters, depending on state law. The newest county in
4836-454: The City and County of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; City and County of San Francisco, California ; and Lynchburg-Moore County, Tennessee A consolidated city-county may still contain independent municipalities maintaining some governmental powers that did not merge with the rest of the county. For example, the government of Jacksonville–Duval County, Florida , still provides county-level services to
4960-695: The Hong Kong protests in October 2019, Hawley and Senator Ted Cruz visited Hong Kong and spoke in favor of the protests. Hawley called the city a "police state". Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam called Hawley's assertion "irresponsible and unfounded". On November 18, 2019, Hawley announced the National Security and Personal Data Protection Act, which would make it illegal for American companies to store user data or encryption keys in China. Engadget noted
5084-597: The Mid-Atlantic and Midwest , counties typically provide, at a minimum, courts, public utilities , libraries, hospitals, public health services, parks, roads, law enforcement, and jails. There is usually a county registrar, recorder, or clerk (the exact title varies) who collects vital statistics , holds elections (sometimes in coordination with a separate elections office or commission), and prepares or processes certificates of births, deaths, marriages, and dissolutions (divorce decrees). The county recorder normally maintains
Gentry County, Missouri - Misplaced Pages Continue
5208-552: The New York City Borough of Manhattan), with 72,033 persons per square mile (27,812 persons/km ) in 2015. The Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska , is both the most extensive and the least densely populated county or county equivalent with 0.0380 persons per square mile (0.0147 persons/km ) in 2015. In the 50 states (plus the District of Columbia), a total of 981 counties have a population over 50,000; 592 counties have
5332-559: The Province of Maine founded York County . Massachusetts followed in 1643. Pennsylvania and New York delegated significant power and responsibility from the colony government to county governments and thereby established a pattern for most of the United States, although counties remained relatively weak in New England . When independence came, the framers of the Constitution left
5456-565: The Supreme Court , saying it violated the court's ruling in Graham v. Florida , which held that juveniles could not be sentenced to life imprisonment for charges lesser than homicide. In a Supreme Court filing, Hawley argued that Bostic's sentencing did not violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment , and that Graham v. Florida only applied to a sentence for one crime. The judge who sentenced Bostic said she had come to believe
5580-437: The U.S. Minor Outlying Islands ( Midway Atoll , Palmyra Atoll and Wake Island ) have small non-permanent human populations. The county equivalent with the smallest non-zero population counted in the census is Swains Island, American Samoa (17 people), although since 2008 this population has not been permanent either. The most densely populated county or county equivalent is New York County, New York (coextensive with
5704-596: The U.S. Supreme Court from 2007 to 2008. While at the Supreme Court, Hawley met his future wife, Erin Morrow, now known as Erin Hawley , a fellow Yale Law graduate who was also clerking for Roberts. After his clerkships, Hawley worked in private practice as an appellate litigator at the law firm Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells ) from 2008 to 2011. In 2011, Hawley returned to Missouri and became an associate professor at
5828-569: The USGS counts Guam's election districts (villages) as county equivalents. The U.S. Census Bureau counts the 3 main islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands as county equivalents, while the USGS counts the districts of the U.S. Virgin Islands (of which there are 2) as county equivalents. Common sources of county names are names of people, geographic features, places in other states or countries, and animals. Quite
5952-545: The United States , a county or county equivalent is an administrative or political subdivision of a U.S. state or other territories of the United States which consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The term " county " is used in 48 states, while Louisiana and Alaska have functionally equivalent subdivisions called parishes and boroughs , respectively. Counties and other local governments exist as
6076-671: The United States Census Bureau and some other federal agencies for some federal functions), and most of the governmental authority below the state level is in the hands of towns and cities . In several of Maine's sparsely populated counties, small towns rely on the county for law enforcement, and in New Hampshire several social programs are administered at the state level. In Connecticut, Rhode Island, and parts of Massachusetts, counties are now only geographic designations, and they do not have any governmental powers. All government
6200-530: The University of Missouri Law School , where he taught constitutional law, constitutional theory, legislation, and torts. From 2011 to 2015 Hawley was with Becket Fund for Religious Liberty . At Becket, he wrote briefs and gave legal advice in the Supreme Court cases Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission , decided in 2012, and Burwell v. Hobby Lobby , decided in 2014. Hawley launched his campaign for attorney general of Missouri on July 23, 2015. Of
6324-466: The county seat ("parish seat" in Louisiana, "borough seat" in Alaska, or " shire town " in several New England counties). The county seat usually resides in a municipality. However, some counties may have multiple seats or no seat. In some counties with no incorporated municipalities, a large settlement may serve as the county seat. The power of county governments varies widely from state to state, as does
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#17328519716746448-473: The median land area of U.S. counties was 622 sq mi (1,610 km ), which is two-thirds of the median land area of a ceremonial county of England , and a little more than a quarter of the median land area of a French département . Counties in the western United States typically have a much larger land area than those in the eastern United States. For example, the median land area of counties in Georgia
6572-598: The senior United States senator from Missouri , a seat he has held since 2019. A member of the Republican Party , Hawley served as the 42nd attorney general of Missouri from 2017 to 2019, before defeating two-term incumbent Democratic senator Claire McCaskill in the 2018 election and winning reelection in 2024 . Born in Springdale, Arkansas , to a banker and a teacher, Hawley graduated from Stanford University in 2002 and Yale Law School in 2006. After being
6696-464: The $ 9.2 million raised for the campaign, $ 4.4 million was provided by David Humphreys, CEO of Joplin -based Tamko Building Products. On August 2, 2016, Hawley defeated Kurt Schaefer in the Republican primary with 64% of the vote. He defeated Democrat Teresa Hensley in the general election with 58.5% of the vote. During the campaign, Hawley criticized "career politicians" who were "climbing
6820-451: The 50 states and District of Columbia. There are an additional 100 county equivalents in the territories of the United States . The average number of counties per state is 62, with a range from the three counties of Delaware to the 254 counties of Texas . Southern and Midwestern states generally tend to have more counties than Western or Northeastern states, as many Northeastern states are not large enough in area to warrant
6944-454: The 50 states and the District of Columbia. If the 100 county equivalents in the U.S. territories are counted, then the total is 3,244 counties and county-equivalents in the United States. The idea of counties originated with the counties of England . English (after 1707, British ) colonists brought to their colonies in North America a political subdivision that they already used in
7068-717: The AG's office $ 12,000. When Hawley was AG, his staff used private email instead of government accounts to communicate with his political consultants. Those consultants illegally gave direct guidance and tasks to Hawley's staff and led meetings during office hours in the Missouri Supreme Court building. Beetem wrote, "There is no genuine dispute that the AGO knew the Sunshine Law required it to produce responsive documents in its possession when it received DSCC's two Sunshine Law requests, but made
7192-973: The British metropole : the counties. Counties were among the earliest units of local government established in the Thirteen Colonies that would become the United States. Virginia created the first counties in order to ease the administrative workload in Jamestown . The House of Burgesses divided the colony first into four "incorporations" in 1617 and finally into eight shires (or counties) in 1634: James City , Henrico , Charles City , Charles River , Warrosquyoake , Accomac , Elizabeth City , and Warwick River . America's oldest intact county court records can be found at Eastville, Virginia , in Northampton (originally Accomac) County , dating to 1632. Maryland established its first county, St. Mary's in 1637. In 1639,
7316-516: The Hawleys moved to Lexington, Missouri , after Ronald joined a division of Boatmen's Bancshares there. Hawley attended Lexington Middle School and then Rockhurst High School , a private Jesuit boys' prep school in Kansas City, Missouri , from which he graduated in 1998 as a valedictorian . According to his middle school principal, Barbara Weibling, several of Hawley's teachers thought "he
7440-686: The Missouri Farm Bureau's endorsement of Hawley presented legal complications. Hawley's campaign received $ 5,000 from the Teamsters , but has been criticized by other Missouri union leaders. At a campaign event at First Baptist Church in Ozark, Missouri , Hawley falsely claimed that Amendment 3, an abortion rights initiative, was related to transgender health care . Hawley was criticized for his reliance on private jets in his campaign, spending $ 132,000 between mid-December 2023 and June 2024. Hawley
7564-496: The Missouri Republican Presidential Primary was closely contested, with Senator John McCain (R- Arizona ) prevailing and eventually winning the nomination. Then- Senator Hillary Clinton (D- New York ) received more votes than any candidate from either party in Gentry County during the 2008 presidential primary. Despite initial reports that Clinton had won Missouri, Barack Obama (D- Illinois ), also
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#17328519716747688-650: The Senate Conservatives Fund. He won a large majority of the vote in the primary election. Trump endorsed Hawley in November 2017. During the general election campaign, the Affordable Care Act became a central issue, with both candidates pledging to protect coverage for preexisting conditions . McCaskill criticized Hawley for his involvement in a lawsuit that sought to overturn the ACA, potentially eliminating protections for those with preexisting conditions. Hawley, meanwhile, highlighted McCaskill’s upcoming vote on
7812-523: The Senate and expressing concerns about election integrity. Although he did not call for protesters at the Capitol to turn violent, some critics viewed his actions as heightening tensions. In January 2021, Hawley said he did not intend to overturn the election results. Joshua David Hawley was born on December 31, 1979, in Springdale, Arkansas, to banker Ronald Hawley and teacher Virginia Hawley. In 1981,
7936-608: The Senate in its tracks." She noted that Hawley differed from his predecessors in that his obstruction had no clear policy goal, but was more about punishing the Biden administration. On August 3, 2022, Hawley cast the sole vote against the Senate resolution agreeing to Sweden and Finland joining the NATO defense alliance; it passed, 95–1. Before and after the votes, Hawley said the resolutions were not in America's best interest, with China posing
8060-644: The U.S. Census Bureau began to also count Connecticut's Councils of Governments , which took over some of the regional powers from the state's former county governments, as county equivalents. Territories of the United States do not have counties; instead, the United States Census Bureau also divides them into county equivalents. The U.S. Census Bureau counts American Samoa 's districts and atolls as county equivalents. American Samoa locally has places called "counties", but these entities are considered to be " minor civil divisions " (not true counties) by
8184-473: The U.S. Census Bureau recognized the state's nine Councils of Governments as replacement for the state's eight legacy counties for all statistical purposes; full implementation was completed in 2024. The average U.S. county population was 104,435 in 2019, while the median county, which is Nicholas County, West Virginia , had a population of 25,965 in 2019. The most populous county is Los Angeles County, California , with 10,014,009 residents in 2020. This number
8308-475: The U.S. Census Bureau treats American Samoa's three districts and two atolls as county equivalents). American Samoa's counties are treated as minor civil divisions. Most territories are directly divided into municipalities or similar units, which are treated as equivalent of counties for statistical purposes: The U.S. Census Bureau counts all of Guam as one county equivalent (with the FIPS code 66010), while
8432-683: The U.S. Census Bureau. The number of counties per state ranges from the three counties of Delaware to the 254 counties of Texas . County populations also vary widely: in 2017, according to the Census Bureau, more than half the U.S. population was concentrated in just 143 of the more than 3,000 counties, or just 4.6% of all counties; the five most populous counties, ordered from most to least, are Los Angeles County, California ; Cook County, Illinois ; Harris County, Texas ; Maricopa County, Arizona ; and San Diego County, California . As of 2022 , there are 3,144 counties and county-equivalents in
8556-484: The United States is the city and county of Broomfield, Colorado , established in 2001 as a consolidated city-county , previously part of four counties. The newest county equivalents are the Alaskan census areas of Chugach and Copper River , both established in 2019, and the Alaskan boroughs of Petersburg established in 2013, Wrangell established in 2008, and Skagway established in 2007. A consolidated city-county
8680-406: The bill might cause "serious problems" for companies that are legally obligated to store data in China, such as Apple and TikTok , and "might force them to leave China altogether". It was not Hawley's first technology-related bill; he had also introduced proposals to ban loot boxes in gaming and to restrict social network features "deemed addictive", among others. Hawley focused on TikTok, saying
8804-611: The bill would cover Russia as well as China, and "any other country the State Department deems a security risk". He said the bill was "targeted at social media platforms and data-intensive businesses", and "would block such mergers by default without pre-approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ". The bill also prevents the collection of "more user data than is necessary to conduct business". Hawley joined President Donald Trump in his calls for an increase of
8928-402: The board. These positions may include county clerk , county treasurer , county surrogate, sheriff , and others. District attorneys or state attorneys are usually state-level as opposed to county-level officials, but in many states, counties and state judicial districts have coterminous boundaries. The site of a county's administration, and often the county courthouse , is generally called
9052-479: The campaign for the inappropriate expenditures. Hawley is seeking a second Senate term. He faces Democratic nominee Lucas Kunce , a U.S. Marine veteran. Hawley and Kunce had a heated debate about debates in front of press at the Governor's Ham Breakfast, in which both expressed their intentions to debate. Hawley pushed for a forum hosted by Missouri Farm Bureau; Kunce pressed for broadcast debates and suggested that
9176-486: The case was reviewed by Hawley's successor, Eric Schmitt , insufficient evidence caused him to reject first or second-degree murder charges, but the statute of limitations had expired for any lesser offenses, so no one could be held criminally accountable for Sanders's death. Hawley's handling of the case led to criticism from black lawmakers and the NAACP 's Missouri chapter. Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, there
9300-407: The citizens of the state". Hawley said text messages between government employees, whether made on private or government-issued phones, should be treated the same as emails: a determination must be made as to whether the text is a public record, and if so, whether it is subject to disclosure. His investigation found that no laws had been broken. In March 2018, six former Missouri attorneys released
9424-410: The city and the county at least nominally exist, they are properly classified as counties in their own right. Likewise, the boroughs of New York City are coextensive with counties and are therefore by definition also not county equivalents. There are technically no counties in U.S. territories. American Samoa has its own counties , but the U.S. Census Bureau does not treat them as counties (instead,
9548-548: The companies violated Missouri consumer protection and Medicaid laws. The damages sought were among the largest in state history, on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars. In August 2017, Hawley announced that he had opened an investigation into seven opioid distributors ( Allergan , Depomed , Insys , Mallinckrodt , Mylan , Pfizer , and Teva Pharmaceuticals ). In October 2017, he expanded his investigation into three additional pharmaceutical companies ( AmerisourceBergen , Cardinal Health , and McKesson Corporation ),
9672-549: The confirmation of CIA Director Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, depicting her as obstructing Trump. His campaign spokesperson asked, "Will Senator McCaskill ignore her liberal donors and support Mike Pompeo for Secretary of State, or will she stick with Chuck Schumer and continue to obstruct the president?", adding, "It is deeply troubling how focused Senator McCaskill is on doing what's politically convenient instead of doing what's right." Both Republicans and Democrats criticized Hawley for initiating his Senate campaign less than
9796-711: The conscious decision not to do so." In 2023, the court demanded that the state pay more than $ 240,000 for the case's legal fees. An attorney on the case declared that Hawley should pay from the proceeds of his book Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs rather than "sticking taxpayers". In August 2018, after a Pennsylvania grand jury released a report detailing over 1,000 cases of sexual abuse by Catholic clerics , as well as protests by survivors of clergy sexual abuse in St. Louis , Hawley announced that he would begin an investigation into potential cases of abuse in Missouri. Missouri
9920-421: The county (which merely implements state law). A typical criminal defendant will be arraigned and subsequently indicted or held over for trial before a trial court in and for a particular county where the crime occurred, kept in the county jail (if he is not granted bail or cannot make bail), prosecuted by the county's district attorney, and tried before a jury selected from that county. But long-term incarceration
10044-466: The county easily in 2016 and 2020 . Bill Clinton was the last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Gentry County in 1996 , and no Democrat has won majority support from Gentry County voters since Michael Dukakis in 1988 . Like most rural areas throughout northwest Missouri, voters in Gentry County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings. In 2004, Missourians voted on
10168-457: The county jail.) In several southern states, public school systems are organized and administered at the county level. As of 2024 , there were 2,999 counties, 64 Louisiana parishes , 19 organized boroughs and 11 census areas in Alaska, 9 Councils of Government in Connecticut, 41 independent cities , and the District of Columbia for a total of 3,144 counties and county equivalents in
10292-527: The entirety of the ACA unconstitutional, but on appeal, the Fifth Circuit did not agree that the entire law should be voided. In March 2018, Hawley defended the 1995 sentencing of Bobby Bostic , a Missouri man who had committed robbery and other crimes at the age of 16, to 241 years in prison. Bostic and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had attempted to appeal his sentence to
10416-399: The four independent municipalities within its borders: Atlantic Beach , Baldwin , Jacksonville Beach , and Neptune Beach . The term county equivalents is used by the United States Census Bureau to describe divisions that are comparable to counties but called by different names: Consolidated city-counties are not designated county equivalents for administrative purposes; since both
10540-439: The general election. Incumbent President Donald Trump (R- Florida ) faced only nominal opposition in the primary and won both Gentry County and statewide by large margins. The 2016 presidential primaries for both the Republican and Democratic parties were held in Missouri on March 15. Businessman Donald Trump (R- New York ) narrowly won the state overall and carried a plurality of the vote in Gentry County. He went on to win
10664-461: The general law of the state or by a charter specific to that county. States may allow only general-law counties, only charter counties, or both. Generally, general-law local governments have less autonomy than chartered local governments. Counties are usually governed by an elected body, variously called the county commission , board of supervisors , commissioners' court , county council , county court , or county legislature . In cases in which
10788-622: The geographically largest cities in the world, though often with population densities far below those of most urban areas. There are 40 consolidated city-counties in the U.S., including Augusta–Richmond County; the City and County of Denver, Colorado; the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii ; Indianapolis–Marion County, Indiana ; Jacksonville–Duval County, Florida ; Louisville–Jefferson County, Kentucky ; Lexington–Fayette County, Kentucky ; Kansas City–Wyandotte County, Kansas ; Nashville–Davidson County, Tennessee ; New Orleans–Orleans Parish, Louisiana ;
10912-532: The initial $ 600 coronavirus relief checks provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to $ 2,000, which put him on the same side as "unlikely ally" Bernie Sanders . Alongside Sanders and Chuck Schumer , Hawley attempted to force a vote to increase the checks, but it was blocked by other Republican senators. On February 8, 2021, after he voted against the nomination of Denis McDonough for Secretary of Veterans Affairs , Hawley became
11036-479: The inquiry. The investigation, which was inherited by Hawley's successor, Eric Schmitt, charged 12 former priests with sexual abuse of minors in September 2019. In August 2017, Hawley formed an exploratory campaign committee for the U.S. Senate. In October 2017, he declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination in Missouri's 2018 U.S. Senate election for the seat held by Democrat Claire McCaskill. Before
11160-498: The investigation because there was insufficient evidence that "an offense has been committed." A 2021 New York Post investigation of questionable campaign expenditures revealed that Hawley had apparently illegally spent such funds, for instance charging $ 80.04 at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville to "travel", on a lobbyist-funded junket to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida . Almost a year later Hawley's office said he had reimbursed
11284-405: The judicial branch of the state government rather than county governments. In many states, the county controls all unincorporated lands within its boundaries. In states with a township tier, unincorporated land is controlled by the townships. Residents of unincorporated land who are dissatisfied with county-level or township-level resource allocation decisions can attempt to vote to incorporate as
11408-402: The ladder" from one position to another, which later became a point of bipartisan criticism of him when he ran for the U.S. Senate two years later. Hawley was elected and became the state's first Republican Attorney General since 1988 . Hawley was sworn in as attorney general on January 9, 2017, by Missouri Supreme Court chief justice Patricia Breckenridge . On May 5, 2017, Tory Sanders,
11532-499: The lawsuit's impact on preexisting conditions, Hawley's office said that he supported protections for individuals with preexisting conditions. Hawley later published an op-ed in the Springfield News-Leader explaining that he supported protecting those with preexisting conditions by creating a taxpayer subsidy to reimburse insurance companies for covering these high-cost patients. In December 2018, Judge Reed O'Connor ruled
11656-560: The least extensive county equivalent is Kingman Reef , with a land area of 0.01 square miles (0.03 km ). In some states, a municipality may be in only one county and may not annex territory in adjacent counties, but in the majority of states, the state constitution or state law allows municipalities to extend across county boundaries. At least 32 states include municipalities in multiple counties . Dallas , for example, contains portions of five counties, while numerous other cities comprise portions of four counties. New York City
11780-416: The legislative power to enact laws for the county; it has the executive power to oversee the executive operations of county government; and it has quasi-judicial power with regard to certain limited matters (such as hearing appeals from the planning commission if one exists). In many states, several important officials are elected separately from the board of commissioners or supervisors and cannot be fired by
11904-674: The matter to the states. Subsequently, state constitutions conceptualized county governments as arms of the state. Louisiana instead adopted the local divisions called parishes that dated back to both the Spanish colonial and French colonial periods when the land was dominated by the Catholic Church . In the twentieth century, the role of local governments strengthened and counties began providing more services, acquiring home rule and county commissions to pass local ordinances pertaining to their unincorporated areas . In 1955, delegates to
12028-426: The minimum wage in the state to $ 6.50 an hour—it passed Gentry County with 63.3% of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 78.99% voting in favor. (During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.) In 2018, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition A) concerning right to work , the outcome of which ultimately reversed
12152-529: The most gifted student I taught in 50 years." In the summer of 2000, Hawley was an intern at The Heritage Foundation , a conservative think tank that later drafted Project 2025 . After spending ten months in London teaching at St Paul's School from 2002 to 2003, Hawley returned to the U.S. to attend Yale Law School, graduating in 2006 with a Juris Doctor degree. The Kansas City Star reported that Hawley's classmates saw him as "politically ambitious and
12276-460: The new felony charges. On April 30, he announced that his office had launched an investigation into possible violations of the state's Sunshine laws , following allegations that a state employee had managed a social media account on Greitens's behalf. The same day, Greitens asked a judge to issue a restraining order blocking Hawley from investigating him. On May 29, 2018, Greitens announced that he would resign effective June 1, 2018. Hawley issued
12400-514: The next most common source of county names are geographic features and locations, with some counties even being named after counties in other states, or for places in other countries, such as the United Kingdom (the latter is most common in the area of the original Thirteen Colonies in the case of the United Kingdom, or in places which had a large number of immigrants from a particular area for other countries). The most common geographic county name
12524-444: The official announcement, four former Republican U.S. senators from Missouri ( John Ashcroft , Kit Bond , John Danforth , and McCaskill's predecessor, Jim Talent ) asked Hawley to run for the Senate seat. The tightly contested Republican primary had 11 candidates hoping to unseat McCaskill. Hawley received substantial support from prominent Republicans, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , President Donald Trump , and
12648-424: The official record of all real estate transactions. Other key county officials include the coroner / medical examiner , treasurer , assessor , auditor , comptroller , and district attorney . In most states, the county sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer in the county. However, except in major emergencies where clear chains of command are essential, the county sheriff normally does not directly control
12772-556: The only senator to vote against all of President Joe Biden 's cabinet nominees except Cecilia Rouse , whom he voted to confirm as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers . Ten months into Biden's term, Hawley had voted to approve only four of 118 executive appointments that received a Senate vote, and none in the preceding five months. This record made him a standout among senators. Political scientist Wendy Schiller compared Hawley to "senators who have basically made it their career to stop
12896-448: The police departments of city governments, but merely cooperates with them (e.g., under mutual aid pacts). Thus, the most common interaction between county and city law enforcement personnel is when city police officers deliver suspects to sheriff's deputies for detention or incarceration in the county jail. In most states, the state courts and local law enforcement are organized and implemented along county boundaries, but nearly all of
13020-437: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 2,674 households, of which 29.06% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.42% were married couples living together, 8.23% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.10% were non-families. 29.02% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.07% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
13144-507: The presidency. On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D- New York ) both won statewide by a small margin but narrowly lost Gentry County to Senator Bernie Sanders (I- Vermont ). The 2012 Missouri Republican Presidential Primary's results were nonbinding on the state's national convention delegates. Voters in Gentry County supported former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R- Pennsylvania ), who finished first in
13268-578: The relationship between counties and incorporated cities. The powers of counties arise from state law and vary widely. In Connecticut and Rhode Island , counties are geographic entities, but not governmental jurisdictions. At the other extreme, Maryland counties and the county equivalent City of Baltimore handle almost all services, including public education , although the state retains an active oversight authority with many of these services. Counties in Hawaii also handle almost all services since there
13392-444: The right to work legislation passed in the state the previous year. 61.82% of Gentry County voters cast their ballots to overturn the law. The 2020 presidential primaries for both the Democratic and Republican parties were held in Missouri on March 10. On the Democratic side, former Vice President Joe Biden (D- Delaware ) both won statewide and carried Gentry County by a wide margin. He went on to defeat President Donald Trump in
13516-584: The sentence was too harsh, and asked to join an amicus brief filed by 26 former judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials. On April 24, the Supreme Court rejected Bostic's appeal. On November 14, 2022, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem ruled that Hawley violated Missouri's open records law during his 2018 U.S. Senate campaign by withholding emails between his out-of-state political consultants and his taxpayer-funded staff. Beetem granted summary judgment, ruled Hawley's office had "knowingly and purposefully" violated Missouri's Sunshine Law , and fined
13640-474: The state at large, but eventually lost the nomination to former Governor Mitt Romney (R- Massachusetts ). Delegates to the congressional district and state conventions were chosen at a county caucus, which selected a delegation favoring Santorum. Incumbent President Barack Obama easily won the Missouri Democratic Primary and renomination. He defeated Romney in the general election. In 2008,
13764-412: The state with 51% of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research . Despite Gentry County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes like increasing the minimum wage . In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase
13888-541: The state's French and Spanish colonial periods. Before the Louisiana Purchase and granting of statehood, government was often administered in towns where major church parishes were located. Of the original 19 civil parishes of Louisiana that date from statehood in 1807, nine were named after the Roman Catholic parishes from which they were governed. The structure and powers of a county government may be defined by
14012-421: The substantive and procedural law adjudicated in state trial courts originates from the state legislature and state appellate courts. In other words, most criminal defendants are prosecuted for violations of state law, not local ordinances, and if they, the district attorney, or police seek reforms to the criminal justice system, they will usually have to direct their efforts towards the state legislature rather than
14136-399: The term "county equivalent" to describe places that are comparable to counties, but called by different names. Louisiana parishes, the organized boroughs of Alaska, independent cities, and the District of Columbia are equivalent to counties for administrative purposes. Alaska's Unorganized Borough is further divided into 11 census areas that are statistically equivalent to counties. In 2024,
14260-588: The three largest U.S. opioid distributors. On October 29, 2017, the Columbia Missourian published an exposé describing a large backlog of untested rape kits in Missouri and the long-ignored efforts of rape survivors and law enforcement agencies to have the state address the backlog. On November 29, Hawley announced a statewide audit of the number of untested rape kits. The results were made public in May 2018; there were 5,000 such kits. In August 2018, One Nation,
14384-402: Was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.03. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.55% under the age of 18, 7.85% from 18 to 24, 20.67% from 25 to 44, 26.43% from 45 to 64, and 20.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.4 years. For every 100 females there were 93.62 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.43 males. The median income for
14508-424: Was an alumna . Hawley graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors and Phi Beta Kappa membership. He studied under professor David M. Kennedy , who later contributed the foreword to Hawley's book Theodore Roosevelt: Preacher of Righteousness . Kennedy said Hawley stood out in a school "which is overstuffed with overachieving and very talented young people" and has called him "arguably
14632-583: Was convicted of a variety of federal and state charges, led a team of police and jailers who repeatedly pepper-sprayed and tasered Sanders throughout the day. Hutcheson eventually led a team of cops and jailers into the cell and swarmed Sanders, who went into cardiac arrest and died. The cause of death was judged to be " excited delirium ", a condition frequently cited in custody-related deaths but not recognized by major psychiatric authorities. Hawley determined that those who had assaulted Sanders had not intended his death, and decided not to file murder charges. When
14756-440: Was dissolved by the District of Columbia Organic Act . Jefferson County , for Thomas Jefferson , is next with 26. The most recent president to have a county named for him was Warren G. Harding , reflecting the slowing rate of county creation since New Mexico and Arizona became states in 1912. The most common names for counties not named after a president are Franklin (25), Clay (18), and Montgomery (18). After people,
14880-715: Was focused on what data Google collects from users of its services, how it uses content providers' content, and whether its search engine results are biased. In April 2018, after the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal , Hawley announced that his office had issued a subpoena to Facebook related to how the company shares its users' data. The investigation sought to find whether Facebook properly handles its users' sensitive data or collects more data than it publicly admits. In December 2017, The Kansas City Star reported that Missouri's Republican Governor Eric Greitens and senior members of his staff used Confide ,
15004-465: Was one of several states to launch such investigations in the wake of the Pennsylvania report; the attorneys general of Illinois , Nebraska , and New Mexico began similar inquiries. Hawley promised that he would investigate any crimes, publish a report for the public, and refer potential cases to local law enforcement officials. Archbishop of St. Louis Robert James Carlson pledged cooperation with
15128-530: Was probably going to be president one day". While in high school, Hawley regularly wrote columns for his hometown newspaper The Lexington News , about such topics as the American militia movement following the Oklahoma City bombing , media coverage of Los Angeles Police Department detective Mark Fuhrman , and affirmative action , which he opposed. He then studied history at Stanford University, where his mother
15252-442: Was renewed interest in the case, with activists hoping that Schmitt would file charges. In February 2021, he chose not to do so. In June 2017, Hawley announced that Missouri had filed suit in state court against three major drug companies, Endo Health Solutions , Janssen Pharmaceuticals , and Purdue Pharma , for allegedly hiding the danger of prescription painkillers and contributing to the opioid epidemic . The state argued that
15376-541: Was sworn in as a U.S. senator on January 3, 2019. In June 2019, Hawley played a major role in preventing Trump nominee Michael S. Bogren from being appointed as a district judge for the Western District of Michigan . Hawley accused Bogren of "anti-religious animus" in a case he took as a lawyer, in which Bogren compared Catholic views on homosexuality to the Ku Klux Klan 's views on interracial marriage . During
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