Clinton is a city in and the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Clinton County

Clinton County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 49,116 in the county, with a population density of . There were 21,733 housing units, of which 20,223 were occupied.-2000 census:...

, Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 26231
as of 2010. Clinton, along with DeWitt, Iowa

DeWitt, Iowa

DeWitt is a city in Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,049 at the 2000 census. DeWitt was named after DeWitt Clinton , an early American politician who served as United States Senator and 7th Governor of New York.-Geography:...

 (also located in Clinton County), was named in honor of the seventh governor of New York

Governor of New York

The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...

, DeWitt Clinton

DeWitt Clinton

DeWitt Clinton was an early American politician and naturalist who served as United States Senator and the sixth Governor of New York. In this last capacity he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal...

. Clinton is the principal city of the Clinton Micropolitan Statistical Area

United States micropolitan area

United States Micropolitan Statistical Areas , as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, are urban areas in the United States based around a core city or town with a population of 10,000 to 49,999. The micropolitan area designation was created in 2003...

, which is coterminous with Clinton County. Clinton was incorporated on January 26, 1857.
Among the first settlers of European origin in the Clinton area was Elijah Buell, who built a log cabin on July 25, 1835 and established the town of Lyons, named after the French city of the same name.