Chautauqua County, Kansas

**Chautauqua County** (county code **CQ**) is a county in Southeast Kansas. In 2020, 3,379 people lived there. Its county seat is Sedan. Sedan is also the biggest city in Chautauqua County. Chautauqua County is named after Chautauqua County, New York, where Edward Jaquins was born. Jaquins was a Kansas politician who was important in getting the county created.

## History

**Chautauqua County** was created by an act of the Kansas legislature on June 1, 1875. They divided Howard County into Elk County (the northern half) and Chautauqua County (the southern half). At the time of its creation, about 7,400 people lived there.

The first white settlers in the area that became Chautauqua County came in July 1868.

## Geography

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of . Of that,  is land and  (0.9%) is water.

### Major highways

Sources:  National Atlas, U.S. Census Bureau
- U.S. Route 166
- Kansas Highway 38
- Kansas Highway 99

### Presidential elections

|Year|Republican|Democratic|Third Parties|||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;"|**2024**|style="text-align:center;"|**85.0%** _1,299_|style="text-align:center;"|13.8% _211_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.2% _18_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2020**|style="text-align:center;"|**85.3%** _1,402_|style="text-align:center;"|12.9% _212_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.8% _30_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2016**|style="text-align:center;"|**83.5%** _1,236_|style="text-align:center;"|13.3% _197_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.2% _48_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2012**|style="text-align:center;"|**80.0%** _1,304_|style="text-align:center;"|17.2% _280_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.8% _46_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2008**|style="text-align:center;"|**76.6%** _1,418_|style="text-align:center;"|21.7% _401_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.8% _33_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2004**|style="text-align:center;"|**78.0%** _1,529_|style="text-align:center;"|20.6% _404_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.4% _27_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2000**|style="text-align:center;"|**71.7%** _1,347_|style="text-align:center;"|23.6% _443_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.8% _90_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1996**|style="text-align:center;"|**58.3%** _1,142_|style="text-align:center;"|29.0% _568_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|12.8% _250_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1992**|style="text-align:center;"|**41.2%** _853_|style="text-align:center;"|28.9% _598_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|30.0% _622_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1988**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.5%** _1,247_|style="text-align:center;"|34.2% _661_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.3% _26_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1984**|style="text-align:center;"|**76.6%** _1,688_|style="text-align:center;"|22.5% _497_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.9% _20_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1980**|style="text-align:center;"|**71.6%** _1,566_|style="text-align:center;"|24.8% _543_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.6% _78_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1976**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.8%** _1,159_|style="text-align:center;"|41.7% _866_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.6% _53_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1972**|style="text-align:center;"|**78.0%** _1,546_|style="text-align:center;"|19.1% _378_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.9% _58_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1968**|style="text-align:center;"|**65.5%** _1,537_|style="text-align:center;"|20.4% _478_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|14.1% _331_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1964**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.4%** _1,463_|style="text-align:center;"|44.1% _1,163_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.5% _14_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1960**|style="text-align:center;"|**70.5%** _2,160_|style="text-align:center;"|28.9% _885_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.6% _17_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1956**|style="text-align:center;"|**70.9%** _2,180_|style="text-align:center;"|28.8% _887_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.3% _10_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1952**|style="text-align:center;"|**74.8%** _2,542_|style="text-align:center;"|24.6% _837_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.6% _21_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1948**|style="text-align:center;"|**59.3%** _1,925_|style="text-align:center;"|38.9% _1,261_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.8% _58_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1944**|style="text-align:center;"|**67.4%** _2,305_|style="text-align:center;"|32.3% _1,106_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.3% _10_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1940**|style="text-align:center;"|**62.7%** _2,888_|style="text-align:center;"|36.5% _1,679_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.9% _39_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1936**|style="text-align:center;"|**54.5%** _2,506_|style="text-align:center;"|45.2% _2,080_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.3% _13_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1932**|style="text-align:center;"|43.4% _1,893_|style="text-align:center;"|**51.9%** _2,263_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.7% _204_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1928**|style="text-align:center;"|**76.0%** _3,303_|style="text-align:center;"|21.7% _944_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.3% _101_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1924**|style="text-align:center;"|**60.0%** _2,439_|style="text-align:center;"|26.7% _1,087_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|13.3% _540_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1920**|style="text-align:center;"|**68.6%** _2,539_|style="text-align:center;"|25.3% _936_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|6.1% _227_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1916**|style="text-align:center;"|**49.7%** _2,085_|style="text-align:center;"|41.4% _1,737_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|8.9% _374_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1912**|style="text-align:center;"|**31.4%** _818_|style="text-align:center;"|28.8% _752_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|39.8% _1,039_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1908**|style="text-align:center;"|**60.2%** _1,689_|style="text-align:center;"|34.1% _958_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|5.7% _159_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1904**|style="text-align:center;"|**67.5%** _2,033_|style="text-align:center;"|22.6% _681_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|9.9% _299_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1900**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.5%** _1,618_|style="text-align:center;"|43.9% _1,280_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.7% _19_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1896**|style="text-align:center;"|**50.9%** _1,359_|style="text-align:center;"|48.5% _1,293_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.6% _17_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1892**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.0%** _1,408_||style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|48.0% _1,298_||
|style="text-align:center;"|**1888**|style="text-align:center;"|**57.6%** _1,590_|style="text-align:center;"|25.1% _694_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|17.3% _478_|

Chautauqua is a very Republican county. The only Republican to ever lose the county has been Herbert Hoover in 1932. Other than the never-Democratic, historically Yankee Doniphan County, Chautauqua County was the only Kansas county to give incumbent President William Howard Taft a plurality in 1912. The last Democrat to win thirty percent of the county’s vote was Michael Dukakis in 1988. In 2016 Hillary Clinton won only thirteen percent.

### Unified school districts

- Cedar Vale USD 285
- Sedan USD 286

### Cities

- Cedar Vale
- Chautauqua
- Elgin
- Niotaze
- Peru
- Sedan

## References

- Notes

## More reading

- _Handbook of Elk and Chautauqua Counties, Kansas_; C.S. Burch Publishing Co; 24 pages; 1886.
- _Standard Atlas of Chautauqua County, Kansas_; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 66 pages; 1921.
- _Standard Atlas of Chautauqua County, Kansas_; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 32 pages; 1903.

## Other websites

- County
- Chautauqua County - Directory of Public Officials
- Maps
- Chautauqua 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**: Chautauqua County
- **state**: Kansas
- **type**: County (United States), County
- **ex image**: Sedan, Kansas.jpg
- **ex image cap**: Downtown Sedan (2013)
- **founded**: March 25, 1875
- **named for**: Chautauqua County, New York
- **seat wl**: Sedan
- **largest city wl**: Sedan
- **area total sq mi**: 645
- **area land sq mi**: 639
- **area water sq mi**: 5.9
- **area percentage**: 0.9%
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 3379
- **population density sq mi**: 5.3
- **area codes**: Area code 620, 620
- **district**: 4th
- **time zone**: Central