Clinton County, Ohio, was formed on March 1, 1810 from parts of Warren and Highland Counties, and was named after then United States Vice-President, George Clinton. Comprised of 410.9 sq miles of mostly rolling farmland, its 2000 population was 40,543.

Clinton County was an early settlement point for members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers. Many of the areas founding families arrived in the early 1800's from North Carolina. In 1870 the Society of Friends established Wilmington College of Ohio. The Society of Friends still maintains a large presence in the Clinton County area.