1863 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

none related races 1862–63 United States Senate elections March 2026 January 2025 1863 United States Senate election in Wisconsin Wisconsin presidential no 1857 United States Senate election in Wisconsin 1857 1869 United States Senate election in Wisconsin 1869 January 22, 1863 Legislative x150px James rood doolittle (cropped).jpg James R. Doolittle Republican Party (United States) 73 55.30% Edward G. Ryan.png Edward G. Ryan Democratic Party (United States) 57 43.18% others 2 1.52% U.S. Senator James R. Doolittle Republican Party (United States) James R. Doolittle Republican Party (United States) The 1863 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held in the 16th Wisconsin Legislature on January 22, 1863. Incumbent Republican U.S. senator James R. Doolittle was re-elected on the first ballot. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89069539427 Journal of the Assembly of Wisconsin 1863 Wisconsin Legislature 85-86 Joint Convention March 1, 2025 HathiTrust At the start of the 1863 term, Republicans held majorities in both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature, but their majorities were bolstered by three "pro-Union" fusion candidates, some of whom had previously been Democrats. Counting only those who were elected as Republicans, they could only afford four defections in the vote for United States senator. The incumbent, Doolittle, faced opposition from the Radical Republican wing of the party, but other candidates were reluctant to seek the nomination. https://www.newspapers.com/article/waukesha-freeman-us-senate-election/167383231/ The Strife for U.S. Senator Waukesha Freeman December 30, 1862 2 March 6, 2025 Newspapers.com Major candidates Democratic Edward George Ryan, a prominent lawyer in Milwaukee. Republican James R. Doolittle, incumbent U.S. senator. John F. Potter, also known by the nickname "Bowie Knife Potter", outgoing U.S. representative of Wisconsin's 1st congressional district. Cadwallader C. Washburn, Union Army general and former U.S. representative of Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district. Results Republican nomination Prior to the legislative caucus, Radical Republicans pushed for the nomination of U.S. representative John F. Potter, though Potter himself did not endorse the effort. The caucus first met on the evening of January 20 and took an informal poll, finding Doolittle had the support of 43 of 72 voting members—enough for the nomination; Potter received 19 votes. The caucus adjourned for the evening and met again on January 1, at which time they took a formal vote. https://www.newspapers.com/article/janesville-weekly-gazette-us-senate-nomi/167384844/ Senatorial Caucus Janesville Gazette January 21, 1863 1 March 6, 2025 Newspapers.com On the formal ballot, Doolittle received 53 votes and was declared the party's nominee. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-milwaukee-news-doolittle-renom/167385591/ Doolittle Nominated Daily Milwaukee News January 22, 1863 4 March 6, 2025 Newspapers.com Official vote The 16th Wisconsin Legislature met in joint session on January 22, 1863, to elect a U.S. senator. The voting went along party lines, with only one Republican member absent. James R. Doolittle received the votes of all other Republicans and Union legislators, winning the election. 1st Vote of the 16th Wisconsin Legislature, January 22, 1863 Republican Party (United States) James R. Doolittle (incumbent) 73Doolittle received the votes of all Republicans and Union members except representative George Hyer (who was absent). 55.30% Democratic Party (United States) Edward G. Ryan 57Ryan received the votes of all Democrats except representatives James B. Frazell and William H. Smith (who voted for others). 43.18% Republican Party (United States) Matthew H. Carpenter 1Democratic representative James B. Frazell voted for Matthew H. Carpenter. 0.76% Democratic Party (United States) James S. Brown 1Democratic representative William H. Smith voted for James S. Brown. 0.76% Absent 1 67 50.76% 132 99.25% Republican Party (United States) Notes References 1863 Wisconsin United States Senate