1861 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 1861 Wisconsin gubernatorial election presidential no 1859 Wisconsin gubernatorial election 1859 1863 Wisconsin gubernatorial election 1863 November 5, 1861 120px Louis P. Harvey National Union Party (United States) 53,777 54.18% 100px Benjamin Ferguson Democratic Party (United States) 45,456 45.80% 1861 Wisconsin gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 250px County resultsHarvey : #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% #c21b18ff 80–90% #a80000ff >90%Ferguson: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5ff 80–90% Governor Alexander W. Randall Republican Party (United States) Louis P. Harvey Republican Party (United States) The 1861 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1861. Republican Party candidate Louis P. Harvey won the election with 54% of the vote, defeating Democratic candidate Benjamin Ferguson.Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, Wisconsin Legislature 2015 Wisconsin Blue Book 2015-2016 Madison, Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Administration 699–701 978-0-9752820-7-6 This was the first Wisconsin gubernatorial election to take place after the outbreak of the American Civil War, and Wisconsin Republicans joined War Democrats to form the Union Party during the war. Democrats accused them of using patriotism to paper over the state's economic troubles.https://books.google.com/books?id=kaYF7FhVuqAC Wisconsin in the Civil War: The Home Front and the Battle Front, 1861-1865 Wisconsin Historical Society Press Klement Frank L. 1997 June 10, 2019 6. Banks and Bonds, Business and Politics 9780870206269 Harvey won Calumet County and Kewaunee County; these counties would not vote for a Republican again until 1916 and 1896, respectively. Background Wisconsin was experiencing economic depression, the results of the Panic of 1857. The secession of the southern states was further damage to the economy, exacerbating problems in the state's banks, which had invested a great deal of capital in southern bonds. The bonds were essentially worthless after secession, and thirty eight banks had failed by June 1861, with another forty on the brink. Riots broke out over invalidated bank notes and soldiers had to be called in to restore order. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1962 The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1962 State of Wisconsin Theobald H. Rupert Wisconsin's military establishment: its organization and operation 92–96 September 14, 2019 The farm economy was also depressed, as prices for agricultural products fell due to the Confederate blockade on the Mississippi River. Railroad companies took advantage of their new monopoly on transportation and raised their freight prices. The combination of low incomes and higher expenses pushed many farms toward foreclosure. All of these problems weighed heavily on the government, and the Republicans, who held power in the state at the time, took much of the blame for bringing depression and war. It was in this environment that incumbent Republican Governor Alexander Randall chose not to seek re-election to a third term. Nominations Union party Louis P. Harvey was the incumbent Wisconsin Secretary of State at the time of the 1861 election, having been elected in the 1859 election. He had previously served two terms in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Rock County. Harvey was a former Whig who had participated in the founding and organization of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. Democratic party Benjamin Ferguson was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate at the time of the election, representing Dodge County. Ferguson was a farmer and had previously been elected Sheriff of Dodge County and served on the County Board of Supervisors. Results 1861 Wisconsin gubernatorial electionWisconsin Historical Society, Tabular Statement of the Votes polled for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Seceretary of State, State Treasurer, Attorney General, State Superintendent, Bank Comptroller and State Prison Commissioner, at a General Election held in the several Counties in the State of Wisconsin on the First Tuesday being the Fifth day of November A.D. 1861The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin Vote for Governor in 1861, By Counties 1862 153 Smith & Cullaton, State Printers Madison, Wisconsin https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AXU6B3ZTECZLNP8P/full/ADUOAG4WPM5D7O8Z National Union Party (United States) Louis P. Harvey 53,777 54.18% +0.97% Democratic Party (US) Benjamin Ferguson 45,456 45.80% -0.80% Scattering 25 0.03% 8,321 8.38% 99,258 100.00% National Union Party (United States) +1.77% Results by county County Louis P. HarveyNational Union Benjamin FergusonDemocratic ScatteringWrite-in Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # %Adams67879.95%17020.05%00.00%50859.91%848Ashland2943.28%3856.72%00.00%-9-13.43%67Bad Ax96677.09%28722.91%00.00%67954.19%1,253Brown60145.12%73154.88%00.00%-130-9.76%1,332Buffalo56770.61%23629.39%00.00%33141.22%803Calumet39454.72%32645.28%00.00%689.44%720Chippewa15544.80%19155.20%00.00%-36-10.40%346Clark17587.06%2612.94%00.00%14974.13%201Columbia1,92572.18%74127.78%10.04%1,18444.39%2,667Crawford58246.41%67253.59%00.00%-90-7.18%1,254Dane3,11353.76%2,67546.19%30.05%4387.56%5,791Dodge2,64540.11%3,95059.89%00.00%-1,305-19.79%6,595Door19677.47%5622.13%10.40%14055.34%253Douglas5155.43%4144.57%00.00%1010.87%92Dunn49098.59%71.41%00.00%48397.18%497Eau Claire40467.56%19432.44%00.00%21035.12%598Fond du Lac2,44051.53%2,29548.47%00.00%1453.06%4,735Grant2,00965.76%1,04634.24%00.00%96331.52%3,055Green1,46168.85%66131.15%00.00%80037.70%2,122Green Lake81165.35%42834.49%20.16%38330.86%1,241Iowa98855.01%80844.99%00.00%18010.02%1,796Jackson60585.94%9914.06%00.00%50671.88%704Jefferson1,83846.94%2,07653.01%20.05%-238-6.08%3,916Juneau66951.03%64048.82%20.15%292.21%1,311Kenosha1,05468.26%49031.74%00.00%56436.53%1,544Kewaunee30760.08%20439.92%00.00%10320.16%511La Crosse1,16660.01%77739.99%00.00%38920.02%1,943La Pointe57100.00%00.00%00.00%57100.00%57Lafayette1,46444.16%1,85155.84%00.00%-387-11.67%3,315Manitowoc1,10344.75%1,36155.21%10.04%-258-10.47%2,465Marathon10019.88%40380.12%00.00%-303-60.24%503Marquette51545.25%62354.75%00.00%-108-9.49%1,138Milwaukee1,84025.52%5,37074.48%00.00%-3,530-48.96%7,210Monroe93169.22%41430.78%00.00%51738.44%1,345Oconto54293.93%335.72%20.35%50988.21%577Outagamie44933.66%88466.27%10.07%-435-32.61%1,334Ozaukee34519.60%1,41580.40%00.00%-1,070-60.80%1,760Pepin46777.32%13722.68%00.00%33054.64%604Pierce75690.87%769.13%00.00%68081.73%832Polk25795.90%114.10%00.00%24691.79%268Portage61969.24%27530.76%00.00%34438.48%894Racine1,58255.05%1,29244.95%00.00%29010.09%2,874Richland71458.10%51541.90%00.00%19916.19%1,229Rock2,79674.20%96925.72%30.08%1,82748.49%3,768Sauk1,62773.79%578The 1862 Legislative Manual gives this figure as 579 but this is a mistake.26.21%00.00%1,04947.57%2,205Shawano12560.68%8139.32%00.00%4421.36%206Sheboygan1,25850.71%1,22349.29%00.00%351.41%2,481St. Croix63566.15%32533.85%00.00%31032.29%960Trempealeau46994.94%255.06%00.00%44489.88%494Walworth2,13365.27%1,13534.73%00.00%99830.54%3,268Washington38315.13%2,14684.79%20.08%-1,763-69.66%2,531Waukesha1,95046.84%2,21253.13%10.02%-262-6.29%4,163Waupaca1,07169.32%47130.49%30.19%60038.83%1,545Waushara99684.05%18915.95%00.00%80768.10%1,185Winnebago2,07160.63%1,34539.37%00.00%72621.25%3,416Wood20346.67%23253.33%00.00%-29-6.67%435Total53,77754.18%45,45645.80%25The county figures add up to 240.03%8,3218.38%99,258 Counties that flipped from Democratic to National Union Buffalo Calumet Dane Door Douglas Kewaunee La Pointe Oconto Sheboygan St. Croix Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Waukesha Notes References 1861 Category:1861 Wisconsin elections Wisconsin Category:November 1861 in the United States