Cabinet counties facts for kids

The Cabinet counties are a group of ten counties in the southern part of the U.S. state of Michigan. They are special because they are named after President Andrew Jackson and the important people who worked with him in his Cabinet.

These counties were mostly created a long time ago, in 1829, by the Michigan Territorial legislature. This was before Michigan became a state! Eight of the counties were named after members of President Jackson's Cabinet. Two more counties, Cass and Livingston, were added later because their namesakes also became part of Jackson's Cabinet.

Michigan with the Cabinet counties shown in red

Why Were These Counties Named This Way?

People believe these counties were named after President Jackson and his Cabinet members for a smart reason. At the time, Michigan was a territory, not yet a state. It was having a big argument with Ohio over a piece of land called the Toledo Strip.

Michigan wanted to become a state and also win this land dispute. By naming counties after powerful people in the President's Cabinet, Michigan hoped to get their support. They wanted these officials to help Michigan become a state and settle the border issue in their favor.

President Jackson himself helped Michigan. In 1837, as one of his last actions as President, he signed the bill that made Michigan the 26th state in the United States.

The Ten Cabinet Counties

Here are the ten Cabinet counties in Michigan and who they were named after:

• Barry County was named for William T. Barry. He was the U.S. Postmaster General, in charge of mail services.
• Berrien County was named for John M. Berrien. He served as the U.S. Attorney General, the country's chief lawyer.
• Branch County was named for John Branch. He was the U.S. Secretary of the Navy, overseeing the country's naval forces.
• Calhoun County was named for John C. Calhoun. He was the U.S. Vice President under Andrew Jackson.
• Cass County was named for Lewis Cass. He was the Territorial Governor of Michigan and later became Jackson's Secretary of War.
• Eaton County was named for John Eaton. He also served as Jackson's Secretary of War.
• Ingham County was named for Samuel D. Ingham. He was the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, managing the country's money.
• Jackson County was named directly after Andrew Jackson himself, the President of the United States.
• Livingston County was named for Edward Livingston. He was Jackson's second Secretary of State, handling foreign affairs.
• Van Buren County was named for Martin Van Buren. He was the U.S. Secretary of State, then Vice President, and later became President himself.