About
Douglas County
History
Douglas County
was established in 1855. It was named after Stephen Arnold Douglas
(1813-1861). He was elected to the United States House of Representatives
in 1842. Mr. Douglas was a tremendous speaker and he became an outstanding
spokesman for a policy of national expansion. Stephen Douglas was
elected to the U.S. Senate in 1847, from the State of Illinois.
Senator Douglas introduced the bill in 1854 that created the Kansas-Nebraska
Act. This act made Kansas and Nebraska organized territories and
allowed them to determine whether to be a free state or slave state
by 'popular sovereignty'. It also repealed the Missouri Compromise,
which stated that slavery was prohibited north of 36-30' latitude.
The Missouri Compromise had previously kept the number of free and
slave states numerically equal. In 1858, while campaigning for a
third term as a U.S. Senator, Douglas was opposed by Abraham Lincoln
. They engaged in a momentous series
of debates on the slavery issue. Douglas, known as the "little
giant" was reelected, but Lincoln gained a national reputation.
In 1860, Douglas won the Democratic Party nomination for President.
Southern Democrats nominated their own candidate and the split in
the Party resulted in the election of the Republican candidate,
Abraham Lincoln. When the American Civil War broke out, Douglas
gave Lincoln loyal support.
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Fast Facts
| Population,
4-1-2001 |
463,585 |
Highest
elevation above sea level |
1315' |
| Total
area in square miles |
339.6 |
Latitude
(72nd & Dodge) |
41-15'
N |
| Land
area in square miles |
331.0 |
Longitude
(72nd & Dodge) |
96-01'
W |
| North/South
length in miles |
14 |
Number
of Cities |
6 |
| East/West
width in miles |
31 |
County
Seat |
Omaha |
| Lowest
elevation above sea level |
965' |
County
established in |
1855 |
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Governmental
Structure
Douglas County,
incorporated in 1855, forms part of one of the nation's major metropolitan
areas along the Missouri River, with Omaha as its largest city.
The county has a broad-based economy with strong trade, service,
and manufacturing sectors, with many corporations headquartered
in the county. This is the major insurance and telemarketing center
of the United States. The employment base is diverse and employment
remains stable. Douglas County's unemployment rate has consistently
remained below the state and national averages.
The county
operates under the board of commissioners-administrator form of
government. Policymaking and legislative authority is vested in
the Board of Commissioners, which consists of seven members. The
Board of Commissioners is responsible, among other things, for passing
resolutions, adopting the budget, appointing committees and hiring
the county's chief administrative officer. The board is elected
within their respective districts. Board members are elected to
four-year terms, staggered, with three or four members elected every
two years. The Chief Administrative Officer is responsible for carrying
out the policies and resolutions of the Board, for overseeing the
day-to-day operations of the county, and for appointing the heads
of county departments that do not have an elected official.
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