1859 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

The 1859 gubernatorial election in Wisconsin was held on November 8, 1859. Republican Party incumbent Governor Alexander Randall won re-election with 53% of the vote, defeating Democratic candidate Harrison Carroll Hobart.[1]

1859 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

November 8, 1859

Nominee Alexander W. Randall Harrison Carroll Hobart Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 59,999 52,539 Percentage 53.21% 46.60%

Governor before election Alexander W. Randall Republican Elected Governor Alexander W. Randall Republican

Democratic Party

Harrison Carroll Hobart was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly at the time of the election, representing Calumet County. He had previously served as Speaker of the Assembly in the 1849 session, and was state senator for the 1st district in the 1st Wisconsin Legislature.

Republican Party

Alexander W. Randall was the incumbent Governor, having been elected in the 1857 election. He had previously served as a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge in Milwaukee, and served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1855. Earlier, in 1846, Randall had been a delegate to the first Wisconsin constitutional convention and had successfully advocated for including a provision by which African American suffrage could be legalized via referendum.

Results

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Election, 1859

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
General Election, November 8, 1859
	Republican	Alexander Randall (incumbent)	59,999	53.21%	+3.58%
	Democratic	Harrison Carroll Hobart	52,539	46.60%	-2.53%
		Scattering	83	0.07%
Total votes			112,755	100.0%	+25.20%
	Republican hold

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.