1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
The 1855 gubernatorial election in Wisconsin 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.
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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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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 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
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 6, 1855 | |||||
| Republican | Coles Bashford | 36,198 | 49.86% | ||
| Democratic | William A. Barstow | 36,355 | 50.08% | -4.53% | |
| Scattering | 45 | 0.06% | |||
| Total votes | 72,598 | 100.0% | +30.38% | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
Results by County
| 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 |
References
- 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.
- "Attorney General ex rel. Bashford v. Barstow" (PDF). Wisconsin Court System. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
- "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.
- Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States gubernatorial elections, 1776-1860. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.