1855 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

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1855 United States Senate election in Wisconsin
Flag of Wisconsin.svg
←  1849 January 30, 1855 –February 1, 1855 1861  →
  Charles Durkee portrait.jpg Byron Kilbourn photo.jpg
Nominee Charles Durkee Byron Kilbourn Others
Party Republican Democratic
Legislative vote543914
Percentage50.47%36.45%13.08%
U.S. senator before election

Isaac P. Walker
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Charles Durkee
Republican

The 1855 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held in the 8th Wisconsin Legislature between January 30, 1855, and February 1, 1855. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Isaac P. Walker did not run for re-election. Former U.S. representative Charles Durkee was elected United States senator on the eighth ballot, and became the first Republican U.S. senator from Wisconsin. [1]

Contents

This was the first U.S. Senate election in Wisconsin after the creation of the Republican Party. Republicans held a majority in the Wisconsin State Assembly, with 44 of 82 seats; Democrats held a narrow majority in the Wisconsin Senate, with 13 of 25 seats. As the Republican Party was a new creation, party loyalties were still in flux, with several members of the Legislature not officially aligned with either major party.

With 44 seats in the Assembly and 11 seats in the Senate, Republicans technically held a bare majority of the total legislator votes, but they struggled for three days to unify behind their candidate. Durkee ultimately received 53 of the 55 votes of Republican legislators. The two holdouts who did not vote for Durkee were representatives Joseph Schrage of Sheboygan County and Mitchell L. Delaney of Washington County. To secure the necessary 54 votes, Durkee won the vote of independent (later Republican) Alexander Randall. [1]

Major candidates

Democratic

Republican

Results

Votes on January 30, 1855

The legislature met in joint session on January 30 and took three votes in succession to try to pick a U.S. senator.

1st Vote of the 8th Wisconsin Legislature, January 30, 1855 [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Charles Durkee 5047.62%
Democratic Byron Kilbourn 1817.14%
Republican James Duane Doty 109.52%
Democratic Harrison Carroll Hobart 54.76%
Democratic Edward G. Ryan 54.76%
Democratic Morgan Lewis Martin 32.86%
Republican Edward D. Holton 21.90%
Republican James T. Lewis 21.90%
Democratic William Pitt Lynde 21.90%
Republican Marshall Strong 21.90%
Henry S. Baird 10.95%
John A. Brown10.95%
Democratic Stephen A. Douglas 10.95%
Democratic Abram D. Smith 10.95%
John Y. Smith10.95%
Frank H. Waite10.95%
Absent or not voting2
Majority5350.48%
Total votes105 98.13%
Void election result
2nd Vote of the 8th Wisconsin Legislature, January 30, 1855 [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Charles Durkee 4946.67%−1
Democratic Byron Kilbourn 2220.95%+4
Republican James Duane Doty 98.57%−1
Democratic Harrison Carroll Hobart 65.71%+1
Democratic Edward G. Ryan 32.86%−2
Democratic David Agry 21.90%+2
Republican Edward D. Holton 21.90%
John H. Lathrop21.90%+2
Democratic Morgan Lewis Martin 21.90%−1
Republican Marshall Strong 21.90%
Republican James T. Lewis 10.95%−1
Democratic William Pitt Lynde 10.95%−1
Democratic Abram D. Smith 10.95%
John Y. Smith10.95%
John H. Vance10.95%+1
Frank H. Waite10.95%
Absent or not voting2
Majority5350.48%
Total votes105 98.13%
Void election result
3rd Vote of the 8th Wisconsin Legislature, January 30, 1855 [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Charles Durkee 4542.86%−4
Democratic Byron Kilbourn 2019.05%−2
Republican James Duane Doty 1211.43%+3
Democratic Harrison Carroll Hobart 65.71%
John H. Lathrop65.71%+4
Democratic Eleazer Wakeley 32.86%+3
Republican Edward D. Holton 21.90%
Republican James T. Lewis 21.90%+1
Republican Marshall Strong 21.90%
Democratic Charles Dunn 10.95%+1
Democratic Morgan Lewis Martin 10.95%−1
Democratic William Pitt Lynde 10.95%
Democratic Edward G. Ryan 10.95%−2
Democratic Abram D. Smith 10.95%
John H. Vance10.95%
Frank H. Waite10.95%
Absent or not voting2
Majority5350.48%
Total votes105 98.13%
Void election result

No person securing the majority, the convention voted to adjourn until 11am the following day.

Votes on January 31, 1855

The legislature re-convened in joint session on Wednesday, January 31, and took three more votes for U.S. senator.

4th Vote of the 8th Wisconsin Legislature, January 31, 1855 [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Charles Durkee 5047.17%+5
Democratic Byron Kilbourn 1514.15%−5
Republican James Duane Doty 1110.38%−1
Democratic Harrison Carroll Hobart 54.72%−1
Democratic Eleazer Wakeley 54.72%+2
Democratic William Pitt Lynde 32.83%+2
Democratic Solomon Juneau 21.89%+2
John H. Lathrop21.89%−4
Republican Marshall Strong 21.89%
Henry S. Baird 10.94%+1
Democratic Gabriel Bouck 10.94%+1
Democratic Samuel Crawford 10.94%+1
Democratic William M. Dennis 10.94%+1
Albert W. Emery10.94%+1
Republican Edward D. Holton 10.94%−1
Jerome Lalor10.94%+1
Republican James T. Lewis 10.94%−1
Republican Walter D. McIndoe 10.94%+1
Democratic William Rudolph Smith 10.94%+1
Frank H. Waite10.94%
Absent or not voting1
Majority5450.94%
Total votes106 99.07%
Void election result
5th Vote of the 8th Wisconsin Legislature, January 31, 1855 [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Charles Durkee 5047.17%
Democratic Byron Kilbourn 1413.21%−1
Republican James Duane Doty 1312.26%+2
Democratic Eleazer Wakeley 65.66%+1
Democratic William Pitt Lynde 32.83%
Democratic Harrison Carroll Hobart 21.89%−3
John H. Lathrop21.89%
Republican Marshall Strong 21.89%
Democratic David Agry 10.94%+1
Henry S. Baird 10.94%
Democratic William A. Barstow 10.94%+1
E. B. Bowen10.94%+1
William W. Brown 10.94%+1
Democratic Nelson Dewey 10.94%+1
Democratic Charles Dunn 10.94%+1
Albert W. Emery10.94%
Republican Edward D. Holton 10.94%
Democratic Daniel Howell 10.94%+1
H. K. Laughlin10.94%+1
General McManman10.94%+1
Frank H. Waite10.94%
Absent or not voting1
Majority5450.94%
Total votes106 99.07%
Void election result
6th Vote of the 8th Wisconsin Legislature, January 31, 1855 [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Charles Durkee 5148.11%+1
Republican James Duane Doty 1413.21%+1
Democratic Byron Kilbourn 1211.32%−2
Democratic Eleazer Wakeley 109.43%+4
Democratic Morgan Lewis Martin 32.83%+3
Democratic Charles Dunn 21.89%+1
John H. Lathrop21.89%
Democratic William Pitt Lynde 21.89%−1
Republican Marshall Strong 21.89%
Henry S. Baird 10.94%
Republican William H. Ebbets 10.94%+1
Democratic Charles A. Eldredge 10.94%+1
Democratic Harrison Carroll Hobart 10.94%−1
Republican Edward D. Holton 10.94%
Democratic William Hull 10.94%+1
Republican James T. Lewis 10.94%+1
Frank H. Waite10.94%
Absent or not voting1
Majority5450.94%
Total votes106 99.07%
Void election result

No person securing the majority, the convention voted to adjourn until 3pm the following day.

Votes on February 1, 1855

The legislature re-convened in joint session on Thursday, February 1, and took two more votes for U.S. senator, finally achieving a majority on the 2nd vote of the day, the 8th ballot overall.

7th Vote of the 8th Wisconsin Legislature, February 1, 1855 [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Charles Durkee 5350.00%+2
Democratic Byron Kilbourn 3835.85%+26
John H. Lathrop43.77%+2
Republican James Duane Doty 21.89%−12
Democratic Harrison Carroll Hobart 21.89%+1
Democratic David Agry 10.94%+1
Henry S. Baird 10.94%
Democratic James S. Brown 10.94%+1
Democratic Charles Dunn 10.94%−1
Joseph Pierce10.94%+1
Democratic Edward G. Ryan 10.94%+1
Democratic Abram D. Smith 10.94%+1
Absent or not voting1
Majority5450.94%
Total votes106 99.07%
Void election result
8th Vote of the 8th Wisconsin Legislature, February 1, 1855 [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Charles Durkee 54 50.47% +1
Democratic Byron Kilbourn 3935.45%+1
Democratic Charles Dunn 54.67%+4
Republican James Duane Doty 43.74%
Democratic David Agry 21.87%+1
Democratic Harrison Carroll Hobart 21.87%
Republican James McMillan Shafter 10.93%+1
Majority5450.47%
Total votes107 100.0%
Republican gain from Democratic

Charles Durkee, having received a majority of the 107 votes of the Legislature, was declared elected U.S. senator.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Journal of the Senate of Wisconsin (Report). Wisconsin Legislature. 1855. pp. 120–152. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
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