On This Day (1876): 'The Great Divorce' of St. Louis City and St. Louis County
ST. LOUIS - On this day, Aug. 22, 1876, voters headed to the polls and set the stage for a locally historic event known as "The Great Divorce," splitting St. Louis City from St. Louis County.
Friday marks 149 years since St. Louis City and St. Louis County voters cast ballots on a measure to separate St. Louis City as an independent city from St. Louis County.
As described in Joe Sonderman’s 2024 book, “This Day in St. Louis History,” the measure initially appeared to fail. However, over the following weeks and months, allegations of fraud emerged, prompting a recount.
The recount took nearly four months, and because of that, it wasn't until late 1876 that the vote for separation was officially certified.
According to a St. Louis Historic Preservation website, the Missouri Charter of 1875 authorized the terms for separation, and the vote arose because many city residents objected to the costs of supporting ongoing expansion efforts in St. Louis County.
Prior to the vote, St. Louis County encompassed the City of St. Louis along with other municipalities within county boundaries, such as Kirkwood and Florissant. When the split became official, however, the City of St. Louis became a fully-independent municipality with its own government, taxes and services, separate of St. Louis County.
Nearly a century and half later, that arrangement still exists today.
There has been some recent momentum around the idea or merging St. Louis City and St. Louis County back together, including a 2025 legislative proposal. Supporters are hopeful such a move could streamline governance and reduce redundancy in services across the St. Louis region, but critics often argue it could dilute the city's autonomy and complicate local representation.
In 2019, St. Louis Magazine dove deep into the history behind "The Great Divorce," including details on the contentious vote, allegations of fraud and ballot tampering and how St. Louis City's permanent boundaries were ultimately drawn.
NOTE: Video attached to this story is from a December 2024 report of legislation proposing to merge St. Louis City and St. Louis County services.
