1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

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1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
  1853 November 6, 1855 1857  
  Coles Bashford.png William A Barstow by William F Cogswell, c1850s.jpg
Nominee Coles Bashford William A. Barstow
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote36,19836,355
Percentage49.86%50.08%

1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Bashford:     50–60%     60–70%     70–100%
Barstow:     50–60%     60–70%     70–100%

Governor before election

William A. Barstow
Democratic

Elected Governor

Coles Bashford
Republican

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.

Contents

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]

Results

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Election, 1855
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
General Election, November 6, 1855
Republican Coles Bashford 36,198 49.86%
Democratic William A. Barstow (incumbent)36,35550.08%-4.53%
Scattering450.06%
Total votes72,598 100.0% +30.38%
Republican gain from Democratic

Results by County

Bashford
Republican
Barstow
Democratic
MarginCounty Total [4]
County# %# %# %#
Adams37638.10%61161.90%23523.81%987
Bad Ax29849.34%30650.66%81.32%604
Brown33562.50%20137.50%13425.00%536
Buffalo11593.50%86.50%10786.99%123
Calumet37754.24%31845.76%598.49%695
Chippewa12161.11%7738.89%4422.22%198
Clark4586.54%713.46%3873.08%52
Columbia90636.37%1,58563.63%67927.26%2,491
Crawford16357.60%12042.40%4315.19%283
Dane2,36749.86%2,38050.14%130.27%4,747
Dodge2,36451.94%2,18748.06%1773.89%4,551
Door00.00%81100.0%81100.0%81
Douglas8891.67%88.33%8083.33%96
Dunn12474.25%4325.75%8148.50%167
Fond du Lac1,72246.40%1,98953.60%2677.19%3,711
Grant1,11241.19%1,58858.81%47617.63%2,700
Green60034.82%1,12365.18%52330.35%1,723
Iowa1,09258.71%76841.29%32417.42%1,860
Jackson11439.31%17660.69%6221.38%290
Jefferson1,55847.15%1,74652.85%1885.69%3,304
Kenosha61038.01%99561.99%38523.99%1,605
La Crosse34346.73%39153.27%486.54%734
Lafayette1,19961.74%74338.26%45623.48%1,942
Manitowoc94164.06%52835.94%41328.11%1,469
Marathon10454.17%8845.83%168.33%192
Marquette85841.96%1,18758.04%32916.09%2,045
Milwaukee4,62772.57%1,74927.43%2,87845.14%6,376
Monroe9230.16%21369.84%12139.67%305
Oconto13159.82%8840.18%4319.63%219
Outagamie38247.99%41452.01%324.02%796
Ozaukee1,58685.41%27114.59%1,31570.81%1,857
Pierce5527.23%14772.77%9245.54%202
Polk14988.17%2011.83%12976.33%169
Portage23536.21%41463.79%17927.58%649
Racine1,34451.91%1,24548.09%993.82%2,589
Richland18629.34%44870.66%26241.32%634
Rock1,01827.45%2,69072.55%1,67245.09%3,708
Sauk48233.66%95066.34%46832.68%1,432
Shawano3846.34%4453.66%67.32%82
Sheboygan1,30654.10%1,10845.90%1988.20%2,414
Trempealeau1827.69%4772.31%2944.62%65
Walworth1,11234.84%2,08065.16%96830.33%3,192
Washington2,30181.34%52818.66%1,77362.67%2,829
Waukesha1,51239.42%2,32460.58%81221.17%3,836
Waupaca80667.67%38532.33%42135.35%1,191
Waushara24834.16%47865.84%23031.68%726
Winnebago1,13840.23%1,69159.77%55319.55%2,829

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References

  1. Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, Wisconsin Legislature (2015). Wisconsin Blue Book 2015-2016. Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Department of Administration. pp. 699–701. ISBN   978-0-9752820-7-6.
  2. 1 2 3 "Attorney General ex rel. Bashford v. Barstow" (PDF). Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  3. "The Legislature's Relationship with the Courts: The Role of Judicial Review in Legislating Wisconsin" (PDF). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. May 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  4. Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States gubernatorial elections, 1776-1860. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.