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County results Bashford: 50–60% 60–70% 70–100% Barstow: 50–60% 60–70% 70–100% | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Wisconsin |
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The 1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1855. Republican Party candidate Coles Bashford was declared the winner after a court challenge, defeating Democratic incumbent William A. Barstow.
Barstow was initially declared the winner of the election, having apparently received just over 50% of the vote. [1] However, Bashford and the Wisconsin Attorney General, George Baldwin Smith, filed suit in the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the case Atty. Gen. ex rel. Bashford v. Barstow. [2] [3] They alleged that Barstow's allies had created fraudulent election returns in several fake precincts in Wisconsin's northern counties. The court found that Bashford had won the election, and was entitled to the governorship. [2] Before the court could formally remove him from office, Barstow resigned, leaving his Lieutenant Governor Arthur MacArthur Sr., as acting Governor, until Bashford was sworn in four days later. [2]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 6, 1855 | |||||
Republican | Coles Bashford | 36,198 | 49.86% | ||
Democratic | William A. Barstow (incumbent) | 36,355 | 50.08% | -4.53% | |
Scattering | 45 | 0.06% | |||
Total votes | 72,598 | 100.0% | +30.38% | ||
Republican gain from Democratic |
Bashford Republican | Barstow Democratic | Margin | County Total [4] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # |
Adams | 376 | 38.10% | 611 | 61.90% | 235 | 23.81% | 987 |
Bad Ax | 298 | 49.34% | 306 | 50.66% | 8 | 1.32% | 604 |
Brown | 335 | 62.50% | 201 | 37.50% | 134 | 25.00% | 536 |
Buffalo | 115 | 93.50% | 8 | 6.50% | 107 | 86.99% | 123 |
Calumet | 377 | 54.24% | 318 | 45.76% | 59 | 8.49% | 695 |
Chippewa | 121 | 61.11% | 77 | 38.89% | 44 | 22.22% | 198 |
Clark | 45 | 86.54% | 7 | 13.46% | 38 | 73.08% | 52 |
Columbia | 906 | 36.37% | 1,585 | 63.63% | 679 | 27.26% | 2,491 |
Crawford | 163 | 57.60% | 120 | 42.40% | 43 | 15.19% | 283 |
Dane | 2,367 | 49.86% | 2,380 | 50.14% | 13 | 0.27% | 4,747 |
Dodge | 2,364 | 51.94% | 2,187 | 48.06% | 177 | 3.89% | 4,551 |
Door | 0 | 0.00% | 81 | 100.0% | 81 | 100.0% | 81 |
Douglas | 88 | 91.67% | 8 | 8.33% | 80 | 83.33% | 96 |
Dunn | 124 | 74.25% | 43 | 25.75% | 81 | 48.50% | 167 |
Fond du Lac | 1,722 | 46.40% | 1,989 | 53.60% | 267 | 7.19% | 3,711 |
Grant | 1,112 | 41.19% | 1,588 | 58.81% | 476 | 17.63% | 2,700 |
Green | 600 | 34.82% | 1,123 | 65.18% | 523 | 30.35% | 1,723 |
Iowa | 1,092 | 58.71% | 768 | 41.29% | 324 | 17.42% | 1,860 |
Jackson | 114 | 39.31% | 176 | 60.69% | 62 | 21.38% | 290 |
Jefferson | 1,558 | 47.15% | 1,746 | 52.85% | 188 | 5.69% | 3,304 |
Kenosha | 610 | 38.01% | 995 | 61.99% | 385 | 23.99% | 1,605 |
La Crosse | 343 | 46.73% | 391 | 53.27% | 48 | 6.54% | 734 |
Lafayette | 1,199 | 61.74% | 743 | 38.26% | 456 | 23.48% | 1,942 |
Manitowoc | 941 | 64.06% | 528 | 35.94% | 413 | 28.11% | 1,469 |
Marathon | 104 | 54.17% | 88 | 45.83% | 16 | 8.33% | 192 |
Marquette | 858 | 41.96% | 1,187 | 58.04% | 329 | 16.09% | 2,045 |
Milwaukee | 4,627 | 72.57% | 1,749 | 27.43% | 2,878 | 45.14% | 6,376 |
Monroe | 92 | 30.16% | 213 | 69.84% | 121 | 39.67% | 305 |
Oconto | 131 | 59.82% | 88 | 40.18% | 43 | 19.63% | 219 |
Outagamie | 382 | 47.99% | 414 | 52.01% | 32 | 4.02% | 796 |
Ozaukee | 1,586 | 85.41% | 271 | 14.59% | 1,315 | 70.81% | 1,857 |
Pierce | 55 | 27.23% | 147 | 72.77% | 92 | 45.54% | 202 |
Polk | 149 | 88.17% | 20 | 11.83% | 129 | 76.33% | 169 |
Portage | 235 | 36.21% | 414 | 63.79% | 179 | 27.58% | 649 |
Racine | 1,344 | 51.91% | 1,245 | 48.09% | 99 | 3.82% | 2,589 |
Richland | 186 | 29.34% | 448 | 70.66% | 262 | 41.32% | 634 |
Rock | 1,018 | 27.45% | 2,690 | 72.55% | 1,672 | 45.09% | 3,708 |
Sauk | 482 | 33.66% | 950 | 66.34% | 468 | 32.68% | 1,432 |
Shawano | 38 | 46.34% | 44 | 53.66% | 6 | 7.32% | 82 |
Sheboygan | 1,306 | 54.10% | 1,108 | 45.90% | 198 | 8.20% | 2,414 |
Trempealeau | 18 | 27.69% | 47 | 72.31% | 29 | 44.62% | 65 |
Walworth | 1,112 | 34.84% | 2,080 | 65.16% | 968 | 30.33% | 3,192 |
Washington | 2,301 | 81.34% | 528 | 18.66% | 1,773 | 62.67% | 2,829 |
Waukesha | 1,512 | 39.42% | 2,324 | 60.58% | 812 | 21.17% | 3,836 |
Waupaca | 806 | 67.67% | 385 | 32.33% | 421 | 35.35% | 1,191 |
Waushara | 248 | 34.16% | 478 | 65.84% | 230 | 31.68% | 726 |
Winnebago | 1,138 | 40.23% | 1,691 | 59.77% | 553 | 19.55% | 2,829 |
The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wisconsin Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment. The position was first filled by Nelson Dewey on June 7, 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state. Prior to statehood, there were four governors of Wisconsin Territory.
Matthew Hale Carpenter was an American attorney and U.S. Senator representing the state of Wisconsin. He served in the Senate from 1869 to 1875 and again from 1879 to 1881. Recognized as an authority on constitutional law, he made some of the most important legal arguments of 19th-century America. Carpenter presented cases before the U. S. Supreme Court involving such matters as states' rights and regulation of corporations.
Arthur MacArthur Sr. was a Scottish-American immigrant, lawyer, and judge. He was the fourth Governor of Wisconsin and was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. He was the father of General Arthur MacArthur Jr., and the grandfather of General Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur is the modern spelling used by his descendants, but in documents from his own time his name was spelled McArthur.
William Augustus Barstow was an American businessman, politician, and public administrator. He was the third governor and second Secretary of State of Wisconsin, and served as a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. Before Wisconsin became a state, he was instrumental in the creation of Waukesha County.
Coles Bashford was an American lawyer and politician who became the fifth governor of Wisconsin, and one of the founders of the U.S. Republican Party. His one term as governor ended in a bribery scandal that ended in him fleeing Wisconsin, but he was later instrumental in the government of the newly formed Arizona Territory.
John Whitcome Reynolds Jr. was the 36th Governor of Wisconsin (1963–1965) and served 21 years as a United States district judge in the Eastern District of Wisconsin (1965–1986). A Democrat, he previously served as the 34th Attorney General of Wisconsin (1959–1963).
The lieutenant governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the line of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, removal, impeachment, absence from the state, or incapacity due to illness of the governor of Wisconsin. Forty-one individuals have held the office of lieutenant governor since Wisconsin's admission to the Union in 1848, two of whom—Warren Knowles and Jack Olson—have served for non-consecutive terms. The first lieutenant governor was John Holmes, who took office on June 7, 1848. The current lieutenant governor is Sara Rodriguez, who took office on January 3, 2023.
The following tables indicate the historic party affiliation of elected officials in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, including: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction. The tables also indicate the historical party composition in the State Senate, State Assembly, the State delegation to the United States Senate, and the State delegation to the United States House of Representatives. For years in which a United States presidential election was held, the tables indicate which party's nominees received the state's electoral votes.
William Rudolph Smith was an American lawyer, politician, pioneer, and historian from Pennsylvania who served as the 5th Attorney General of Wisconsin, the first President of the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the first Adjutant General of Wisconsin.
David W. Taylor was an American attorney, judge, and Republican politician. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the last 13 years of his life (1878–1891). Previously, he served ten years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge, and was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly.
Edward Vernon Whiton was an American lawyer, jurist, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the first elected Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Edward George Ryan was an Irish American immigrant, lawyer, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 5th chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
The 1853 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1853. Democratic candidate William A. Barstow won the election with 55% of the vote, winning his first term as Governor of Wisconsin. Barstow defeated Free Soil Party candidate Edward D. Holton and Whig candidate Henry S. Baird. This would be the last Wisconsin gubernatorial election in which there was a Whig candidate on the ballot.
The Eighth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 10, 1855, to April 2, 1855, in regular session.
The Ninth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 9, 1856, to March 31, 1856, in regular session, and re-convened from September 3, 1856, to October 14, 1856.
The 1857 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1857. Republican Party candidate Alexander Randall won the election with just over 50% of the vote, defeating Democratic candidate James B. Cross.
The 1873 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1873. Democratic Party candidate William Robert Taylor was elected with 55% of the vote, defeating incumbent Republican Governor Cadwallader C. Washburn.
Redistricting in Wisconsin is the process by which boundaries are redrawn for municipal wards, Wisconsin State Assembly districts, Wisconsin State Senate districts, and Wisconsin's congressional districts. Redistricting occurs—as in other U.S. states—once every decade, usually in the year after the decennial United States census. According to the Wisconsin Constitution, redistricting in Wisconsin follows the regular legislative process, it must be passed by both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature and signed by the Governor of Wisconsin—unless the Legislature has sufficient votes to override a gubernatorial veto. Due to legislative gridlock, however, it has become common for Wisconsin redistricting to be conducted by courts. The 1982, 1992, and 2002 legislative maps were each created by panels of United States federal judges.
The Fortieth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 14, 1891, to April 25, 1891, in regular session. They met again for two special sessions in June 1892 and October 1892 to pass redistricting laws. The extra sessions were necessitated by court cases which threw out the Legislature's previous attempts at redistricting. The final redistricting act was signed just 12 days before the 1892 general election.