1863 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

1863 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
← 1861 November 3, 1863 1865 →
 
Nominee James T. Lewis Henry L. Palmer
Party National Union Democratic
Popular vote 72,717 49,053
Percentage 59.59% 40.20%

County results
Lewis:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Palmer:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election

Edward Salomon
Republican

Elected Governor

James T. Lewis
Republican

The 1863 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1863. Republican Party candidate James T. Lewis won the election with nearly 60% of the vote, defeating Democratic candidate Henry L. Palmer.[1]

The incumbent Governor, Edward Salomon, had ascended to office after the accidental drowning of his predecessor, Louis P. Harvey, in April 1862. He was a former Democrat who had been elected Lieutenant Governor on the Republican Party's Union ticket in 1861. He was not re-nominated by the Republican Party.

Nominations

Republican (Union) party

James T. Lewis was the incumbent Wisconsin Secretary of State at the time of the 1863 election, having been elected on the Union ticket in the 1861 election. Lewis was also a former Democrat. As a Democrat, he had previously served as Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 1854 to 1856, and represented Columbia County in the state legislature for two years—in the Assembly for the 1852 session, and in the Senate for the 1853 session.

Democratic party

Henry L. Palmer was a former Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and had served three terms in the Assembly and one term in the Wisconsin State Senate prior to the 1863 election.

Results

1863 Wisconsin gubernatorial election[2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Union James T. Lewis 72,717 59.59% +5.41%
Democratic Henry L. Palmer 49,053 40.20% −5.60%
Independent Edward Salomon (write-in) 227 0.19%
Scattering 32 0.03%
Majority 23,664 19.39%
Total votes 122,029 100.00%
National Union hold Swing +11.01%

Results by county

County[2][3] James T. Lewis
National Union
Henry L. Palmer
Democratic
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # %
Adams 692 75.79% 221 24.21% 471 51.59% 913
Ashland 32 51.61% 30 48.39% 2 3.23% 62
Brown 543 33.81% 1,062 66.13% -519 -32.32% 1,606[a]
Buffalo 548 68.16% 255 31.72% 293 36.44% 804[a]
Calumet 557 44.07% 707 55.93% -150 -11.87% 1,264
Chippewa 226 45.38% 272 54.62% -46 -9.24% 498
Clark 106 70.20% 45 29.80% 61 40.40% 151
Columbia 2,896 69.65% 1,262 30.35% 1,634 39.30% 4,158
Crawford 712 51.67% 666 48.33% 46 3.34% 1,378
Dane 4,152 53.52% 3,598 46.38% 554 7.14% 7,758[b]
Dodge[c] 3,677 46.88% 4,166 53.12% -489 -6.23% 7,843
Door 230 82.44% 49 17.56% 181 64.87% 279
Douglas 48 40.34% 71 59.66% -23 -19.33% 119
Dunn 507 65.00% 273 35.00% 234 30.00% 780
Eau Claire 501 62.70% 298 37.30% 203 25.41% 799
Fond du Lac 3,579 57.30% 2,667 42.70% 912 14.60% 6,246
Grant 3,404 72.16% 1,313 27.84% 2,091 44.33% 4,717
Green 2,046 70.99% 836 29.01% 1,210 41.98% 2,882
Green Lake 1,499 77.59% 433 22.41% 1,066 55.18% 1,932
Iowa 1,351 51.82% 1,256 48.18% 95 3.64% 2,607
Jackson 559 73.26% 204 26.74% 355 46.53% 763
Jefferson 2,299 48.53% 2,438 51.47% -139 -2.93% 4,737
Juneau 893 57.10% 671 42.90% 222 14.19% 1,564
Kenosha 1,328 67.76% 632 32.24% 696 35.51% 1,960
Kewaunee 143 23.87% 456 76.13% -313 -52.25% 599
La Crosse 1,299 64.28% 717 35.48% 582 28.80% 2,021[d]
La Pointe 43 78.18% 12 21.82% 31 56.36% 55
Lafayette 1,483 50.34% 1,463 49.66% 20 0.68% 2,946
Manitowoc 1,302 40.05% 1,949 59.95% -647 -19.90% 3,251
Marathon 107 21.02% 402 78.98% -295 -57.96% 509
Marquette 594 46.19% 692 53.81% -98 -7.62% 1,286
Milwaukee 3,170 35.24% 5,815 64.64% -2,645 -29.40% 8,996[e]
Monroe 1,113 66.53% 560 33.47% 553 33.05% 1,673
Oconto 326 85.56% 55 14.44% 271 71.13% 381
Outagamie 737 42.09% 1,014 57.91% -277 -15.82% 1,751
Ozaukee 279 13.93% 1,724 86.07% -1,445 -72.14% 2,003
Pepin 295 75.45% 96 24.55% 199 50.90% 391
Pierce 597 66.70% 298 33.30% 299 33.41% 895
Polk 198 70.21% 84 29.79% 114 40.43% 282
Portage 790 71.49% 315 28.51% 475 42.99% 1,105
Racine 2,156 60.54% 1,405 39.46% 751 21.09% 3,561
Richland 1,135 64.42% 627 35.58% 508 28.83% 1,762
Rock 4,053 74.68% 1,368 25.21% 2,685 49.47% 5,427[f]
Sauk 2,061 67.33% 854 27.90% 1,207 39.43% 3,061[g]
Shawano 138 56.10% 108 43.90% 30 12.20% 246
Sheboygan[h] 2,076 53.23% 1,824 46.77% 252 6.46% 3,900
St. Croix 594 54.65% 493 45.35% 101 9.29% 1,087
Trempealeau 517 85.88% 85 14.12% 432 71.76% 602
Vernon 1,155 76.24% 360 23.76% 795 52.48% 1,515
Walworth 3,511 78.14% 981 21.83% 2,530 56.31% 4,493[a]
Washington 659 21.14% 2,453 78.70% -1,794 -57.56% 3,117[d]
Waukesha 2,386 50.99% 2,293 49.01% 93 1.99% 4,679
Waupaca 1,222 73.57% 438 26.37% 784 47.20% 1,661[a]
Waushara 1,098 79.45% 284 20.55% 814 58.90% 1,382
Winnebago 2,796 64.72% 1,524 35.28% 1,272 29.44% 4,320
Wood 284 46.48% 327 53.52% -43 -7.04% 611
Soldiers[i] 7,768 92.65% 542 6.46% 7,226 86.19% 8,384[j]
Total 72,717 59.59% 49,053 40.20% 23,664 19.39% 122,029

Counties that flipped from Democratic to National Union

Counties that flipped from National Union to Democratic

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Includes 1 Scattering vote
  2. ^ Includes 8 Scattering votes
  3. ^ This county's return was rejected by the Board of Canvassers due to lacking an official seal. These votes are not included in the statewide totals.
  4. ^ a b Includes 5 Scattering votes
  5. ^ Includes 11 votes for Salomon
  6. ^ Includes 4 votes for Salomon and 2 Scattering votes
  7. ^ Includes 146 votes for Salomon
  8. ^ This county's canvass was declared to be illegal by the Board of Canvassers. These votes are not included in the statewide totals.
  9. ^ The rejected Soldier vote was 1,464 for Lewis, 156 for Palmer, and 32 Scattering.
  10. ^ Includes 66 votes for Salomon and 8 Scattering votes

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. ^ a b Wisconsin Historical Society, Tabular Statement of the Votes polled at a General Election held in the several towns, wards and election precincts in the State of Wisconsin and by the electors of the State of Wisconsin in the military service of the United States and of this States on Tuesday the third day of November A.D. 1863
  3. ^ a b Wisconsin Secretary of State (1864). "Appendix "D"". Annual Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Wisconsin for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30th, 1864. Madison, Wisconsin: William J. Park, State Printer. pp. 70–72.