1851 Wisconsin lieutenant gubernatorial election

1851 Wisconsin lieutenant gubernatorial election

←  1849 November 4, 1851 1853  →

Nominee Timothy Burns James Hughes Benjamin Spaulding Party Democratic Whig Free Soil Popular vote 24,605 16,793 2,918 Percentage 55.44% 37.84% 6.57%

Lieutenant Governor before election Samuel Beall Democratic Elected Lieutenant Governor Timothy Burns Democratic

The 1851 Wisconsin lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1851, in order to elect the lieutenant governor of Wisconsin. Democratic nominee and former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly Timothy Burns defeated Whig nominee James Hughes and Free soil nominee and former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly Benjamin Spaulding. ^[1]

General election

On election day, November 4, 1851, Democratic nominee Timothy Burns won the election by a margin of 7,812 votes against his foremost opponent Whig nominee James Hughes, thereby retaining Democratic control over the office of lieutenant governor. Burns was sworn in as the 3rd lieutenant governor of Wisconsin on January 5, 1852. ^[2]

Results

Wisconsin lieutenant gubernatorial election, 1851

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Timothy Burns	24,605	55.44
	Whig	James Hughes	16,793	37.84
	Free Soil	Benjamin Spaulding	2,918	6.57
		Scattering	65	0.15
Total votes			44,381	100.00
	Democratic hold

References

1. "State Official Canvass". Watertown Chronicle. December 24, 1851. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-11-05– via Newspapers.com.
2. "1851 Lt. Gubernatorial General Election Results - Wisconsin". uselectionatlas.org. June 1, 2024. Retrieved 2025-11-05.