1863 Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice election

none March 2025 March 2025 1863 Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice election Wisconsin presidential no 1861 1865 April 7, 1863 Luther S. Dixon (3x4a).png Luther S. Dixon 61,388 50.98% Republican Party (United States) 3x4.svg Montgomery Morrison Cothren Democratic Party (United States) 58,587 48.65% Justice Luther S. Dixon Republican Party (United States) Luther S. Dixon Republican Party (United States) 1860 Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice special election 1860 (special) 1868 Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice special election 1868 (special) The 1863 Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice election was held on Tuesday, April 3, 1863, to elect the chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Incumbent chief justice Luther S. Dixon was re-elected. Background Incumbent chief justice Luther S. Dixon had been appointed to the chief justice seat in 1860, and was elected to a partial term that April after winning a narrow victory as an independent candidate in a special election. https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-judicial-electio/137626878/ Official Canvass Wisconsin State Journal May 9, 1860 2 December 29, 2023 Newspapers.com Death of Judge Dixon https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83660462/luther-s-dixon-1825-1891/ Portage Daily Register December 7, 1891 Portage, WI 3 Newspapers.com August 18, 2021 https://books.google.com/books?id=S9YDAQAAIAAJ Proceedings of the State Bar Association of Wisconsin 1901 June 18, 2019 242 The 1863 election was a regularly scheduled election, and took place during the American Civil War. While serving on the court, Dixon (the incumbent) had involved in the state's contributions to the Union effort. Dixon was active in the Wisconsin militia as captain of the Madison militia company, the "Hickory Guards". At the outbreak of the American Civil War, he had attempted to enter the Union Army, but had been dissuaded by Governor Randall who argued that he could do more for the country by staying in his position as chief justice than he could on a battlefield. During the war, Dixon was involved in recruiting and training troops to prepare them for service in the army. https://archive.org/details/norwichuniversit02elli/ Norwich University 1819–1911 Ellis William Arba 2 1911 The Capital City Press 429–430 December 29, 2023 At the same time, Dixon had been regarded as a prospective potential candidate for President Abraham Lincoln to nominate for appointment to the United States Supreme Court (though he was ultimately not nominated). Wisconsin had enacted laws allowing for absentee ballots in its elections. This was adopted amid the American Civil War.President Trump Ignores the Long History of Absentee Ballots https://www.theusconstitution.org/blog/president-trump-ignores-the-long-history-of-absentee-ballots/ Constitutional Accountability Center October 1, 2026 enKlement Frank The Soldier Vote in Wisconsin during the Civil War The Wisconsin Magazine of History 1944 28 1 37–47 https://www.jstor.org/stable/4631656 October 1, 2026 Wisconsin Historical Society 0043-6534 Campaign The election was tightly contested. Dixon was nominated by the Republican Party. The Democratic Party nominated Montgomery Morrison Cothren, who ran on an anti-war platform. https://www.newspapers.com/article/mineral-point-weekly-tribune-chief-justi/137639757/ Chief Justice Mineral Point Weekly Tribune March 4, 1863 1 December 29, 2023 Newspapers.com Results Dixon won election, leading Cothren by a margin of more than 2.3%. Cothren had won a majority of votes cast in-person. However, Dixon prevailed due to his lead in the absentee votescast through mail by the state's Union Army soldiers in the field. https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-chief-justice-el/137639101/ Tabular Statement of Votes Polled for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Wisconsin State Journal May 23, 1863 2 December 29, 2023 Newspapers.com 1863 Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice election https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-chief-justice-el/137639101/ Tabular Statement of Votes Polled for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Wisconsin State Journal May 23, 1863 2 December 29, 2023 Newspapers.com | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General election (April 7, 1863) Republican Party (United States) Luther S. Dixon (incumbent) 61,388 50.98 Democratic Party (United States) Montgomery Morrison Cothren 58,587 48.65 Scattering 442 0.37 2,801 2.33 120,417 100. References Category:Wisconsin Supreme Court elections supreme court Wisconsin Supreme Court election Wisconsin