[2] It was founded in 1831, as a municipality in Mexico as Villa de la Santísima Trinidad de la Libertad by commissioner José Francisco Madero and organized as a county of the Republic of Texas in 1836.

[14] Liberty County, formerly strongly Democratic like much of the rest of Texas before the mid-20th century, has trended sharply Republican in recent years.

[citation needed] In the 2020 United States presidential election, a little over 80% of the votes in this county were for Donald Trump.

[15] District 18: Ernest Bailes (R) - first elected in 2016 Around 1995, the economy of Liberty County was mainly focused on agriculture and oil.

At that time, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice had established four correctional facilities (Cleveland, Henley, Hightower, and Plane) in the county within a six-year span.

As of 1995, the facilities employed 1,045 employees and contributed $22 million in the county's annual payroll.

Sections in the Cleveland and Tarkington school districts are assigned to Lone Star College.

[19] The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, operated by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, is located 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Liberty in an unincorporated area.

Judge and Mrs. Price Daniel donated 114 acres (46 ha) of land for the purpose of establishing a library on September 27, 1973.

[20] Outside of the city limits, ambulance services are provided by contract through Allegiance EMS.

Most incorporated areas operate their own police departments, including Cleveland, Daisetta, Dayton, Kenefick, and Liberty.

Incorporated cities of Cleveland and Liberty operate their own fire departments staffed by a combination of paid and volunteer members.

Fire departments serving unincorporated areas: Emergency medical services are provided by Allegiance EMS, with the only exception being inside the City of Liberty, for which service is provided by the City of Liberty Fire and EMS Department.