1909 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

For related races, see 1908–09 United States Senate elections.

1909 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

←  1907 (special) January 27, 1909 –March 4, 1909 1914  →

Nominee Isaac Stephenson Neal Brown others Party Republican Democratic Legislative vote 63 7 53 Percentage 51.22% 5.69% 43.09%

U.S. senator before election Isaac Stephenson Republican Elected U.S. Senator Isaac Stephenson Republican

The 1909 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held in the 49th Wisconsin Legislature between January 27, 1909, and March 4, 1909. Incumbent Republican U.S. senator Isaac Stephenson was ultimately re-elected on the 23rd ballot after more than a month of voting and negotiation. ^[1]

In the 1909 term, Republicans held overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature, so had more than enough votes to elect a Republican United States senator. The main contest was in the Republican legislative caucus, where a large faction attempted to prevent the renomination of Stephenson, who had been accused of campaign finance violations. Both chambers initially voted to re-elect Stephenson, albeit with a large number of members absent or not voting. The January 27 joint convention to certify those results, however, declined to do so after significant debate, and instead proceeded to vote again. After more than a month of balloting and negotiation, Stephenson was ultimately re-elected by a bare majority on March 4, with more than 40 members casting protest votes for random colleagues and neighbors.

Major candidates

Democratic

• Neal Brown, prominent lawyer and former state legislator from Wausau, Wisconsin.

Republican

• Henry Allen Cooper, incumbent U.S. representative of Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, from Racine County.
• John J. Esch, incumbent U.S. representative of Wisconsin's 7th congressional district, from La Crosse, Wisconsin.
• Isaac Stephenson, incumbent U.S. senator, former U.S. representative of Wisconsin's 9th congressional district, from Marinette, Wisconsin.

Socialist

• Jacob Rummel, former state senator from Milwaukee.

Results

Vote on March 4, 1909

The legislature re-convened in joint session on March 4. ^[1]

23rd Vote of the 49th Wisconsin Legislature, March 4, 1909 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Isaac Stephenson (incumbent)	63	51.22%
	Democratic	Neal Brown	7	5.69%
	Republican	John J. Esch	7 [a]	5.69%
	Republican	Henry Allen Cooper	5 [b]	4.07%
	Republican	Charles E. Estabrook	4	3.25%
	Socialist	Jacob Rummel	4 [c]	3.25%
	Republican	John Strange	4	3.25%
	Democratic	George W. Kindlin	3	2.44%
	Democratic	M. W. Kalaher	2 [d]	1.63%
	Republican	Albert W. Sanborn	2 [e]	1.63%
	Republican	Levi H. Bancroft	1	0.81%
	Republican	Sherburn M. Becker	1	0.81%
	Democratic	William J. Bichler	1 [f]	0.81%
	Republican	M. J. Cleary	1	0.81%
	Republican	Samuel A. Cook	1	0.81%
	Republican	John S. Donald	1	0.81%
	Republican	William D. Hoard	1	0.81%
	Republican	Gustav R. Hoffman	1 [g]	0.81%
	Democratic	Melvin A. Hoyt	1 [h]	0.81%
	Democratic	John F. Hughes	1 [i]	0.81%
	Democratic	Paul O. Husting	1 [j]	0.81%
	Democratic	D. M. Kelly	1 [k]	0.81%
	Republican	Edwin Kull	1 [l]	0.81%
	Republican	Irvine Lenroot	1 [m]	0.81%
	Republican	Henry Lockney	1 [n]	0.81%
	Republican	John E. McConnell	1 [o]	0.81%
	Republican	Francis E. McGovern	1 [p]	0.81%
	Republican	Elmer A. Morse	1 [q]	0.81%
	Republican	Charles Neitzel	1 [r]	0.81%
	Republican	Walter C. Owen	1 [s]	0.81%
	Republican	C. K. Reichert	1 [t]	0.81%
	Republican	Charles M. Webb	1 [u]	0.81%
		Absent or not voting	10
Majority			62	50.41%
Total votes			123	92.48%
	Republican hold

Notes

1. On the final ballot, Esch received the votes of Republican senators John J. Blaine, Theodore W. Brazeau, and Spencer M. Marsh, and Republican representatives Charles M. Bradford, George E. Hoyt, H. J. Mortensen, and Simon F. Wehrwein.
2. On the final ballot, Cooper received the votes of Republican senators Isaac T. Bishop and Harry C. Martin and Republican representatives Walker M. Curtiss, John H. Kamper, and Allen Wells.
3. On the final ballot, Rummel received the votes of all the Socialists.
4. On the final ballot, Democratic representatives George W. Kindlin and Henry V. Schwalbach voted for Kalaher.
5. On the final ballot, Republican representatives D. C. Coolidge and John E. McConnell voted for Sanborn.
6. On the final ballot, Democratic representative Paul O. Husting voted for Bichler.
7. On the final ballot, Republican representative Peter F. Leuch voted for Gustav R. Hoffman.
8. On the final ballot, Democratic representative William J. Bichler voted for Melvin Hoyt.
9. On the final ballot, Democratic representative Charles Lentz voted for Hughes.
10. On the final ballot, Democratic senator Charles L. Pearson voted for Husting.
11. On the final ballot, Democratic representative Virgil H. Cady voted for D. M. Kelly.
12. On the final ballot, Republican representative Clinton B. Ballard voted for Kull.
13. On the final ballot, Republican representative Axel Johnson voted for Lenroot.
14. On the final ballot, Republican senator Walter C. Owen voted for Lockney.
15. On the final ballot, Republican senator Thomas Morris voted for John McConnell.
16. On the final ballot, Republican representative Henry Edgar Roethe voted for McGovern.
17. On the final ballot, Republican representative Albert W. Sanborn voted for Morse.
18. On the final ballot, Republican representative James R. Barnett voted for Neitzel.
19. On the final ballot, Republican senator Henry Lockney voted for Walter Owen.
20. On the final ballot, Republican representative Carl H. Dorner voted for C. K. Reichert.
21. On the final ballot, Republican representative Emil Keup voted for Webb.

References

1. State of Wisconsin Assembly Journal (Report). Wisconsin Legislature. 1909. pp. 80–87, 405–409. Retrieved April 3, 2025– via HathiTrust.