June 24, 2009

Stephen Wallace Dorsey, an Ohio veteran of the Civil War, arrived in Arkansas as a railroad executive in 1871. Dorsey soon became deeply involved in state politics and, during the tempestuous era of Reconstruction, served a single term beginning in 1872 as a U.S. senator. After failing to be reelected, he left the state, becoming involved in national politics and business scandals. Present-day Cleveland County was originally named Dorsey County in his honor in 1873 but was renamed in 1885 in honor of President Grover Cleveland.