1869 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

1869 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
← 1867 November 2, 1869 1871 →
 
Nominee Lucius Fairchild Charles D. Robinson
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 69,502 61,239
Percentage 53.14% 46.83%
County results
Fairchild :      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Robinson :      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Governor before election

Lucius Fairchild
Republican

Elected Governor

Lucius Fairchild
Republican

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The 1869 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1869. Incumbent Republican Party governor Lucius Fairchild won re-election with over 53% of the vote, defeating Democratic candidate Charles D. Robinson.[1] Fairchild became the first person to win three terms as governor of Wisconsin.

Fond du Lac County voted for the losing candidate for the first time ever, ending the longest bellwether streak in Wisconsin at the time.

Nominations

Republican party

Lucius Fairchild was the incumbent Governor of Wisconsin, having been elected in the 1865 election and re-elected in 1867. Prior to his election as Governor, he was Wisconsin Secretary of State for one term. Fairchild had also been a Union Army officer in the American Civil War, having served as a colonel in the famous Iron Brigade when they participated in fierce fighting at Gettysburg. Fairchild lost an arm due to wounds sustained at Gettysburg, and was later awarded an honorary promotion to brigadier general.[2]

Democratic party

Charles D. Robinson was a businessman and newspaper publisher and had been the 3rd Secretary of State of Wisconsin. Prior to his nomination for Governor, Robinson had served in the Wisconsin State Assembly for one term, in 1850, had served as a Quartermaster with the Union Army during the American Civil War, and served one term as Mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1866. He was the creator, writer, and publisher of the Democratic paper The Green Bay Advocate since 1846.[3]

Other candidates

Results

1869 Wisconsin gubernatorial election[5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Lucius Fairchild (incumbent) 69,502 53.14% +1.48%
Democratic Charles D. Robinson 61,239 46.83% −1.50%
Scattering 40 0.03%
Majority 8,263 6.32%
Total votes 130,781 100.00%
Republican hold Swing +2.98%

Results by county

County[5][6] Lucius Fairchild
Republican 		Charles D. Robinson
Democratic 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # %
Adams 575 75.07% 191 24.93% 384 50.13% 766
Ashland 1 3.23% 30 96.77% -29 -93.55% 31
Barron 123 100.00% 0 0.00% 123 100.00% 123
Bayfield 43 68.25% 19 30.16% 24 38.10% 63[a]
Brown 783 31.56% 1,698 68.44% -915 -36.88% 2,481
Buffalo 875 67.93% 413 32.07% 462 35.87% 1,288
Burnett 74 96.10% 3 3.90% 71 92.21% 77
Calumet 676 40.00% 1,014 60.00% -338 -20.00% 1,690
Chippewa 593 45.93% 698 54.07% -105 -8.13% 1,291
Clark 381 74.41% 131 25.59% 250 48.83% 512
Columbia 2,185 61.93% 1,342 38.04% 843 23.89% 3,528[a]
Crawford 851 49.33% 874 50.67% -23 -1.33% 1,725
Dane 3,829 53.72% 3,295 46.23% 534 7.49% 7,128[b]
Dodge 2,419 36.44% 4,220 63.56% -1,801 -27.13% 6,639
Door 390 65.22% 208 34.78% 182 30.43% 598
Douglas 39 41.94% 54 58.06% -15 -16.13% 93
Dunn 926 79.42% 240 20.58% 686 58.83% 1,166
Eau Claire 791 66.92% 391 33.08% 400 33.84% 1,182
Fond du Lac 3,071 48.22% 3,289 51.64% -218 -3.42% 6,369[c]
Grant 3,008 67.08% 1,476 32.92% 1,532 34.17% 4,484
Green 2,002 68.51% 920 31.49% 1,082 37.03% 2,922
Green Lake 1,020 68.27% 474 31.73% 546 36.55% 1,494
Iowa 1,413 52.82% 1,262 47.18% 151 5.64% 2,675
Jackson 744 70.19% 316 29.81% 428 40.38% 1,060
Jefferson 2,136 43.83% 2,737 56.17% -601 -12.33% 4,873
Juneau 913 54.18% 772 45.82% 141 8.37% 1,685
Kenosha 1,081 54.57% 898 45.33% 183 9.24% 1,981[d]
Kewaunee 288 33.96% 560 66.04% -272 -32.08% 848
La Crosse 1,688 61.40% 1,060 38.56% 628 22.84% 2,749[a]
Lafayette 1,285 45.12% 1,563 54.88% -278 -9.76% 2,848
Manitowoc 1,502 41.08% 2,154 58,92% -652 -17.83% 3,656
Marathon 131 18.07% 594 81.93% -463 -63.86% 725
Marquette 466 35.04% 864 64.96% -398 -29.92% 1,330
Milwaukee 3,127 34.95% 5,819 65.04% -2,692 -30.09% 8,947[a]
Monroe 1,095 63.11% 640 36.89% 455 26.22% 1,735
Oconto 589 60.60% 383 39.40% 206 21.19% 972
Outagamie 923 38.36% 1,483 61.64% -560 -23.28% 2,406
Ozaukee 330 17.81% 1,523 82.19% -1,193 -64.38% 1,853
Pepin 352 69.16% 157 30.84% 195 38.31% 509
Pierce 837 68.05% 393 31.95% 444 36.10% 1,230
Polk 359 67.23% 175 32.77% 184 34.46% 534
Portage 736 63.23% 428 36.77% 308 26.46% 1,164
Racine 1,748 58.11% 1,252 41.62% 496 16.49% 3,008[e]
Richland 1,247 58.35% 890 41.65% 357 16.71% 2,137
Rock 3,227 73.49% 1,159 26.39% 2,068 47.10% 4,391[f]
Sauk 1,847 71.07% 752 28.93% 1,095 42.13% 2,599
Shawano 212 51.71% 198 48.29% 14 3.41% 410
Sheboygan 1,763 50.06% 1,758 49.91% 5 0.14% 3,522[a]
St. Croix 985 61.64% 613 38.36% 372 23.28% 1,598
Trempealeau 642 82.20% 139 17.80% 503 64.40% 781
Vernon 1,426 82.52% 298 17.25% 1,128 65.28% 1,728[b]
Walworth 2,472 67.76% 1,175 32.21% 1,297 35.55% 3,648[a]
Washington 690 22.46% 2,382 77.54% -1,692 -55.08% 3,072
Waukesha 2,177 44.92% 2,668 55.06% -491 -10.13% 4,846[a]
Waupaca 1,620 68.67% 739 31.33% 881 37.35% 2,359
Waushara 1,133 82.94% 233 17.06% 900 65.89% 1,366
Winnebago 3,407 62.83% 2,016 37.17% 1,391 25.65% 5,423
Wood 256 55.29% 206 44.49% 50 10.80% 463[a]
Total 69,502 53.14% 61,239 46.83% 8,263 6.32% 130,781

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Includes 1 Scattering vote
  2. ^ a b Includes 4 Scattering votes
  3. ^ Includes 9 Scattering votes
  4. ^ Includes 2 Scattering votes
  5. ^ Includes 8 Scattering votes
  6. ^ Includes 5 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. ^ Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1960). "Wisconsin's former governors, 1848-1959". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1960 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 108–110. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  3. ^ "Charles D. Robinson (1822-1886)". Archived from the original on May 5, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Democratic Convention". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. September 9, 1869. p. 2. Retrieved July 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Wisconsin Historical Society, Tabular Statement of the Votes polled for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Attorney General, State Superintendent, and State Prison Commissioner, and on the question of the proposed Amendment to the Constitution of the State of Wisconsin, at a General Election held in the several Towns, Wards and Election Precincts in the several counties in said state, on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday, being the second day of November 1869
  6. ^ a b Wisconsin Secretary of State (1870). "Appendix "K"". Annual Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Wisconsin for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30th, 1870. Madison, Wisconsin: Atwood & Culver, State Printers. pp. 129–131.