Stafford County, Kansas

**Stafford County** (standard abbreviation: **SF**) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2020, 4,072 people lived there. Its county seat is St. John. The county is named after Lewis Stafford. He was captain of Company E, First Kansas Infantry, who was killed at the Battle of Young's Point in Madison Parish, Louisiana on June 7, 1863.

### 19th century

In 1879, **Stafford County** was created.

The borders of Stafford County were defined by the Kansas Legislature of 1870. For several years, the county was still unorganized. The Legislature of 1875 gave the territory in Stafford County to other counties. They wanted to get rid of Stafford County. They gave the part in Range 15 West to Pawnee County; the portion included in Ranges 11, 12, 13 and 14 to Barton County; and the south half of the county, excepting the portion in Range 15, was added to Pratt County. But after each of the counties had taken its part, a strip six miles wide and twelve miles long (two townships) remained as Stafford County. This was the county until April 25, 1879. The Supreme Court of Kansas said that dividing the county was unconstitutional. The county was restored to its original borders.

## Geography

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of . Of that,  is land and  (0.4%) is water.

## Government

Stafford County is often won by Republican Candidates. The last time Stafford County was won by a democratic candidate was in 1976 by Jimmy Carter.

### Presidential elections

|Year|Republican|Democratic|Third Parties|||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;"|**2020**|style="text-align:center;"|**80.9%** _1,645_|style="text-align:center;"|17.6% _357_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.6% _32_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2016**|style="text-align:center;"|**78.6%** _1,490_|style="text-align:center;"|16.0% _304_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|5.4% _102_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2012**|style="text-align:center;"|**75.3%** _1,385_|style="text-align:center;"|22.0% _404_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.7% _50_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2008**|style="text-align:center;"|**72.1%** _1,495_|style="text-align:center;"|26.1% _542_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.8% _37_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2004**|style="text-align:center;"|**75.4%** _1,649_|style="text-align:center;"|23.2% _506_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.4% _31_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2000**|style="text-align:center;"|**70.3%** _1,546_|style="text-align:center;"|25.8% _567_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.0% _87_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1996**|style="text-align:center;"|**63.0%** _1,604_|style="text-align:center;"|25.6% _651_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|11.4% _290_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1992**|style="text-align:center;"|**38.6%** _1,064_|style="text-align:center;"|28.2% _777_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|33.3% _919_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1988**|style="text-align:center;"|**56.0%** _1,532_|style="text-align:center;"|40.9% _1,121_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.1% _85_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1984**|style="text-align:center;"|**69.7%** _2,062_|style="text-align:center;"|28.5% _844_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.8% _52_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1980**|style="text-align:center;"|**62.7%** _1,865_|style="text-align:center;"|29.3% _872_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|8.0% _239_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1976**|style="text-align:center;"|45.2% _1,430_|style="text-align:center;"|**52.5%** _1,659_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.3% _73_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1972**|style="text-align:center;"|**70.4%** _2,200_|style="text-align:center;"|27.0% _844_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.7% _83_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1968**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.8%** _1,851_|style="text-align:center;"|36.3% _1,205_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|8.0% _264_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1964**|style="text-align:center;"|41.6% _1,516_|style="text-align:center;"|**57.3%** _2,087_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.0% _38_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1960**|style="text-align:center;"|**65.5%** _2,531_|style="text-align:center;"|33.8% _1,305_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.7% _26_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1956**|style="text-align:center;"|**68.4%** _2,728_|style="text-align:center;"|31.1% _1,242_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.5% _20_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1952**|style="text-align:center;"|**71.3%** _3,162_|style="text-align:center;"|26.5% _1,174_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.3% _100_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1948**|style="text-align:center;"|**51.7%** _2,304_|style="text-align:center;"|46.0% _2,049_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.3% _100_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1944**|style="text-align:center;"|**56.3%** _2,493_|style="text-align:center;"|43.1% _1,908_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.7% _31_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1940**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.2%** _2,795_|style="text-align:center;"|46.8% _2,509_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.0% _53_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1936**|style="text-align:center;"|37.5% _1,939_|style="text-align:center;"|**62.1%** _3,212_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.4% _20_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1932**|style="text-align:center;"|41.2% _1,945_|style="text-align:center;"|**56.2%** _2,651_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.6% _122_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1928**|style="text-align:center;"|**75.3%** _3,278_|style="text-align:center;"|23.5% _1,025_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.2% _52_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1924**|style="text-align:center;"|**68.6%** _3,100_|style="text-align:center;"|21.2% _957_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|10.2% _463_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1920**|style="text-align:center;"|**70.0%** _2,779_|style="text-align:center;"|26.6% _1,057_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.3% _132_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1916**|style="text-align:center;"|41.9% _1,812_|style="text-align:center;"|**49.6%** _2,148_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|8.5% _368_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1912**|style="text-align:center;"|16.1% _422_|style="text-align:center;"|**41.9%** _1,094_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|42.0% _1,098_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1908**|style="text-align:center;"|**51.0%** _1,334_|style="text-align:center;"|43.4% _1,135_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|5.6% _147_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1904**|style="text-align:center;"|**63.1%** _1,419_|style="text-align:center;"|26.0% _585_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|10.9% _244_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1900**|style="text-align:center;"|46.8% _1,055_|style="text-align:center;"|**50.5%** _1,139_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.7% _60_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1896**|style="text-align:center;"|35.3% _710_|style="text-align:center;"|**63.5%** _1,276_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.1% _23_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1892**|style="text-align:center;"|39.3% _840_||style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|**60.7%** _1,300_||
|style="text-align:center;"|**1888**|style="text-align:center;"|**47.5%** _975_|style="text-align:center;"|23.5% _483_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|29.0% _594_|

### Laws

Although the Kansas Constitution was changed in 1986 to allow the sale of alcohol, Stafford County was still a "dry" county until an election in 2016 when this prohibition was removed by 1,304 to 535, 71% of the vote.

### Unified school districts

- Stafford USD 349
- St. John-Hudson USD 350
- Macksville USD 351

### Cities

- Hudson
- Macksville
- Radium
- Seward
- Stafford
- St. John

## References

- Notes

## More reading

- _Standard Atlas of Stafford County, Kansas_; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 56 pages; 1904.

## Other websites

- County
- Stafford County - Directory of Public Officials
- Maps
- Stafford County Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
- Kansas Highway Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
- Kansas Railroad Maps: Current , 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society

## Infobox (u.s. county)

- **county**: Stafford County
- **state**: Kansas
- **type**: County (United States), County
- **ex image**: Farmers National Bank NRHP 06000392 Stafford County, KS.jpg
- **ex image cap**: Stafford County Museum in Stafford, Kansas, Stafford (2017)
- **founded**: 1879
- **named for**: Lewis Stafford
- **seat wl**: St. John
- **largest city wl**: St. John
- **area total sq mi**: 795
- **area land sq mi**: 792
- **area water sq mi**: 2.9
- **area percentage**: 0.4
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 4072
- **population density sq mi**: 5.1
- **district**: 4th
- **time zone**: Central