Dodge County, Georgia

Dodge County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2020, the population was 19,925. The county seat is Eastman. Dodge County lies in the Historic South and Black Belt region of Georgia, an area that was devoted to cotton production in the antebellum years. It has significant historic buildings and plantations, has a substantial African-American population, and shows cultural aspects of the South.

History

Prior to 1802, this section of Georgia was owned by the Creek Indians. Treaties were made in 1802–1805 by which all lands east of the Ocmulgee River were taken from the Creek Indians. This land was distributed by lottery to the citizens of Georgia. In 1803, Wilkinson County was organized under that treaty. Telfair and Laurens counties were formed from Wilkinson County. In 1808, Pulaski County was formed from Laurens County. In 1869, the Macon and Brunswick Railroad was built. Towns began to spring up all up and down the line, and, as this section was so far removed from the county seat, Hawkinsville, it was deemed expedient to create a new county and place the county seat at this point. A large portion of the county was taken from Laurens County, and also smaller portions from Pulaski, Montgomery, and Telfair counties. Dodge County was organized on October 26, 1870, during the Reconstruction era. The county was named by the Republican-dominated legislature for William E. Dodge. The county courthouse was built by Dodge and used until 1908, on the same area the courthouse stands now.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.4%) is water.

The western half of Dodge County, roughly west of Eastman, is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The eastern half of the county is located in the Little Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin, with a small northern corner of Dodge County, north and west of Chester, located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the larger Alamaha River basin. The rivers were important for trade, carrying cotton and timber downriver to markets.

Adjacent counties

Laurens County - northeast
Wheeler County - east
Telfair County - southeast
Wilcox County - west
Pulaski County - west
Bleckley County - northwest

Communities

Cities

Chauncey
Eastman
Milan

Towns

Chester
Rhine

Census-designated place

Empire (partly in Bleckley County)

Unincorporated communities

Plainfield

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Dodge County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|12,338

|12,564

|13,142

|14,273

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,865

|72.77%

|71.36%

|68.55%

|65.48%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |64.57%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|4,426

|4,843

|5,623

|6,451

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,847

|26.10%

|27.51%

|29.33%

|29.60%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |29.35%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|16

|34

|39

|style='background: #ffffe6; |21

|0.05%

|0.09%

|0.18%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.11%

|Asian alone (NH)

|22

|35

|42

|101

|style='background: #ffffe6; |95

|0.13%

|0.20%

|0.22%

|0.46%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.48%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8

|0.02%

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%

|Other race alone (NH)

|11

|style='background: #ffffe6; |42

|0.04%

|0.01%

|0.03%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.21%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|72

|186

|style='background: #ffffe6; |427

|0.38%

|0.85%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.14%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|153

|148

|248

|732

|style='background: #ffffe6; |620

|0.90%

|0.84%

|1.29%

|3.36%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.11%

|Total

|16,955

|17,607

|19,171

|21,796

|style='background: #ffffe6; |19,925

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 19,925. The median age was 41.8 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 108.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 110.4 males age 18 and over. 31.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 68.8% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 65.3% White, 29.5% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.4% from some other race, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.1% of the population. is located three miles east of Eastman off of State Route 46. Elevation 304'. Runway 02/20 is 6,506'x100'and has a precision instrument landing system. The airport is owned by the Heart of Georgia Regional Airport Authority and is home to the Middle Georgia State College Georgia Aviation campus. Middle Georgia State College operates the Federal Aviation Administration's #1 ranked student control tower in the United States. Other businesses at the airport include aircraft manufacturing, aircraft metal finishing, and general metal fabrication. The airport's fixed-base operator is located in the terminal building midfield. The terminal building is named after W. S. Stuckey Sr., founder of Stuckey's Candy Company (now Standard Candy) an aviation pioneer who is from Eastman.

Education

Politics

Representation

As of the 2020s, Dodge County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 71% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Dodge County is part of Georgia's 8th congressional district, currently represented by Austin Scott. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Dodge County is part of District 20. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Dodge County is part of district District 133.

Vote-buying controversy

Dodge County has been at the center of several voter fraud and vote buying controversies over the past several decades.

1990s

The most notable incident of voter fraud in Dodge County in the 1990s is the case of United States vs. McCranie. In this case, there were two defendants being tried together for several different methods of voter fraud. These methods included vote buying, vote selling, multiple voting, and votes cast by felons and deceased voters. The case involved the winners of the July 9, 1996, races for Dodge County Sheriff and Dodge County Commissioner. The races were decided by 9 votes and 31 votes, respectively. The original results of the election had been contested, and a secondary election took place in an attempt to resolve the issue. In the secondary election, the Dodge County Sheriff's race was overturned, but the results of the Dodge County Commissioner's race remained the same.

A joint federal-state investigation into the events of this election found that the defendants likely worked together to buy votes. This was backed up with bank records that showed that the defendants had each obtained $15,000 in cash in $20 bills from the Bank of Eastman.

2000s

The most notable case of voter fraud in the 2000s is the case of the 2004 Dodge County Sheriff's race. Former Dodge County Sheriff Lawton Douglas Jr. was indicted on two counts of conspiracy and four counts of vote buying in July 2009. This indictment came due to an investigation of the 2004 election, and did not include any charges for the potentially fraudulent 2008 election. Also, Douglas had people accompany voters into the polling booths to ensure that the vote actually went to him. His sentence was 18 months in federal prison.

Election results

References

External links

Dodge County
Dodge County historical marker