1853 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

The 1853 gubernatorial election in Wisconsin was held on November 4, 1853. Democratic candidate William A. Barstow won the election with 55% of the vote, winning his first term as Governor of Wisconsin. Barstow defeated Free Soil Party candidate Edward D. Holton and Whig candidate Henry S. Baird.[1]

1853 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

November 8, 1853

Nominee William A. Barstow Edward D. Holton Henry S. Baird Party Democratic Free Soil Whig Popular vote 30,405 21,886 3,304 Percentage 54.60% 39.31% 5.93%

County results Barstow:      30–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Holton:      30–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Baird:      30–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election Leonard J. Farwell Whig Elected Governor William A. Barstow Democratic

Democratic Party

William A. Barstow was a resident of Waukesha County, and had previously served as Wisconsin's Secretary of State. Before Wisconsin became a state, he was instrumental in creating Waukesha County from what had been the western half of Milwaukee County.

The Wisconsin Democratic Party Convention was held in Janesville in September 1853. Barstow did not intend to seek the nomination for Governor, and, in fact, was supporting A. Hyatt Smith for the nomination. Nevertheless, Barstow's popularity resulted in him receiving five votes on the first ballot, and after Smith deadlocked with Jairus C. Fairchild for seven ballots, Smith withdrew his name and instead endorsed Barstow. Barstow received the nomination on the 13th ballot.[2][3]

Other candidates

• Jairus C. Fairchild, of Madison, had been the first State Treasurer of Wisconsin.
• A. Hyatt Smith was the Mayor of Janesville, and had previously served as United States Attorney for Wisconsin and Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory.
• Timothy Burns, of La Crosse, was the incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. He died just days after the Democratic convention chose Barstow as the nominee.

Free Soil Party

Edward D. Holton was a resident of Milwaukee. He was a businessman and banker, interested in building a railroad to stretch from Milwaukee to the Mississippi River. He was an avowed abolitionist, first as a member of the Liberty Party, and then its successor the Free Soil Party. He was also a supporter of temperance legislation in Wisconsin.

Whig Party

Henry S. Baird was a resident of Green Bay, and was said to be the first practicing lawyer in the Wisconsin Territory. He had served as Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory, appointed by Territorial Governor Henry Dodge, and served on the Territorial Council. He was a delegate to Wisconsin's first Constitutional Convention.

Results

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Election, 1853[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
General Election, November 8, 1853
	Democratic	William A. Barstow	30,405	54.60%	+5.24%
	Free Soil	Edward D. Holton	21,886	39.31%
	Whig	Henry S. Baird	3,304	5.93%	-44.57%
		Scattering	88	0.16%
Plurality			8,519	15.30%	+14.15%
Total votes			55,683	100.0%	+26.01%
	Democratic gain from Whig		Swing	49.82%

Results by County

	Barstow Democratic		Holton Free Soil		Baird Whig		Margin		County Total[4]
County	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	#
Adams	122	56.22%	38	17.51%	57	26.27%	65	29.95%	217
Bad Ax	208	71.23%	7	2.40%	77	26.37%	131	44.86%	292
Brown	254	40.90%	33	5.31%	334	53.78%	80	12.88%	621
Calumet	250	57.74%	90	20.79%	93	21.48%	157	36.26%	433
Columbia	816	47.22%	706	40.86%	206	11.92%	110	6.37%	1,728
Crawford	118	69.01%	24	14.04%	29	16.96%	89	52.05%	171
Dane	1,620	53.45%	1,234	40.71%	177	5.84%	386	12.74%	3,031
Dodge	1,992	57.89%	1,418	41.21%	31	0.90%	574	16.68%	3,441
Fond du Lac	1,489	54.01%	1,217	44.14%	51	1.85%	272	9.87%	2,757
Grant	988	44.73%	1,026	46.45%	195	8.83%	38	1.72%	2,209
Green	769	46.05%	748	44.79%	153	9.16%	21	1.26%	1,670
Iowa	402	45.68%	464	52.73%	14	1.59%	62	7.05%	880
Jackson	113	88.98%	14	11.02%	0	0.00%	99	77.95%	127
Jefferson	1,490	46.72%	1,591	49.89%	108	3.39%	101	3.17%	3,189
Kenosha	590	41.96%	812	57.75%	4	0.28%	222	15.79%	1,406
La Crosse	276	55.53%	160	32.19%	61	12.27%	116	23.34%	497
Lafayette	1,026	59.44%	420	24.33%	280	16.22%	606	35.11%	1,726
Manitowoc	854	88.31%	46	4.76%	67	6.93%	787	81.39%	967
Marathon	205	49.16%	4	0.96%	208	49.88%	3	0.72%	417
Marquette	641	42.53%	852	56.54%	14	0.93%	211	14.00%	1,507
Milwaukee	4,184	75.50%	1,334	24.07%	24	0.43%	2,850	51.43%	5,542
Oconto	90	42.86%	0	0.00%	120	57.14%	30	14.29%	210
Outagamie	267	54.38%	206	41.96%	18	3.67%	61	12.42%	491
Ozaukee	1,155	86.58%	179	13.42%	0	0.00%	976	73.16%	1,334
Pierce	71	67.62%	0	0.00%	34	32.38%	37	35.24%	105
Portage	367	57.10%	56	9.71%	154	26.69%	213	36.92%	577
Racine	1,239	50.39%	1,214	49.37%	6	0.24%	25	1.02%	2,459
Richland	185	56.92%	127	39.08%	13	4.00%	58	17.85%	325
Rock	1,375	38.80%	1,832	51.69%	337	9.51%	457	12.90%	3,544
Sauk	641	54.88%	472	40.41%	55	4.71%	169	14.47%	1,168
Sheboygan	1,389	67.13%	676	32.67%	4	0.19%	713	34.46%	2,069
Walworth	1,062	37.28%	1,584	55.60%	203	7.13%	522	18.32%	2,849
Washington	1,462	82.51%	310	17.49%	0	0.00%	1,152	65.01%	1,772
Waukesha	1,594	48.93%	1,610	49.42%	54	1.66%	16	0.49%	3,258
Waupaca	217	51.79%	152	36.28%	50	11.93%	65	15.51%	419
Waushara	135	36.68%	232	63.04%	1	0.27%	97	26.36%	368
Winnebago	710	36.69%	1,008	56.34%	71	3.97%	298	16.66%	1,789

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. "State Ticket". River Times. Fort Winnebago, Wisconsin. September 17, 1853. p. 2. Retrieved June 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Democratic State Convention". River Times. Fort Winnebago, Wisconsin. September 17, 1853. p. 1-2. Retrieved June 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States gubernatorial elections, 1776-1860. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.