1947 Wisconsin Supreme Court election

none March 2025 March 2025 1947 Wisconsin Supreme Court election Wisconsin presidential no 1946 1949 April 1, 1947 Henry P. Hughes (1946 Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate) portrait photograph.jpg Henry P. Hughes c0c0c0 381,217 51.23% J. Ward Rector (Wisconsin Supreme Court justice), portrait photograph circa 1949.jpg James Ward Rector c0c0c0 245,871 39.21% Justice James Ward Rector Henry P. Hughes 1937 Wisconsin Supreme Court election 1937 1957 Wisconsin Supreme Court election 1957 The 1947 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on Tuesday, April 1, 1947, to elect a justice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a ten-year term. Henry P. Hughes defeated incumbent justice James Ward Rector (who had been appointed after the death on the bench of Joseph Martin). This was the first instance in nearly three decades in which an incumbent justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court lost an election for their seat on the court. Background After the death of Joseph Martin, James Ward Rector was appointed justice in 1946. Prior to this appointment, Rector who had been working in an administrative role in the state government as deputy state attorney generalhttp://www.wicourts.gov/about/judges/supreme/retired/rector.htm Justice James Ward Rector, Wisconsin Supreme Court 2011-04-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20100609133339/http://www.wicourts.gov/about/judges/supreme/retired/rector.htm 2010-06-09 dead Campaign Rector was challenged by Henry P. Hughes, a circuit court judge https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-hughes-appointed-circu/129829849/ Judge Hughes Gets Beglinger's Post The Capital Times December 3, 1937 5 August 11, 2023 Newspapers.com who had unsuccessfully run the previous year for a different seat on the state's supreme court (having launched a strong challenge to Edward T. Fairchild). Hughes was a well-known trial judge. He was regarded to have been the better campaigner of the two candidates.Wyngaard John The New Supreme Justice https://www.newspapers.com/image/396032290 Newspapers.com subscription Appleton Post-Crescent 30 March 2025 en April 4, 1947 A Green Bay Press-Gazette writer would recount eleven years later, "[Hughes] had a good campaign organization. He stumped actively and effectively."Wyngaard John Wingert Defeat Stirs Thoughts on Tradition https://www.newspapers.com/image/188298490 Newspapers.com subscription Green Bay Press-Gazette 30 March 2025 en April 2, 1958 Hughes and his allies argued that Rector had had insufficient trial court experience to warrant holding a seat on the state's high court.Hughes Knocks Rector of Court Bench https://www.newspapers.com/image/611137698 Newspapers.com subscription Portage Daily Register United Press 30 March 2025 en April 2, 1947 Hughes and Rector both received endorsements from prominent state Republicans: Rector was endorsed by Governor Walter Samuel GoodlandRetain Justice James Ward Rector on Supreme Court Rector for Justice Club (advertisement) https://www.newspapers.com/image/1066244286 8 Newspapers.com subscription The Waukesha County Freeman 30 March 2025 en March 31, 1947 (who died a month before the election), and Hughes was endorsed by recently elected U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy.McMillen Miles The Wisconsin Political Scene https://www.newspapers.com/image/518482067 Newspapers.com subscription 30 March 2025 en April 20, 1947 Result Hughes won 61% of the vote. Historically, Wisconsin voters had voted to return incumbent supreme court justices who lacked any controversial record. Rector's defeat (as well as the defeat of Emmert L. Wingert eleven years later in 1958) were seen as eroding this "tradition". Since then, three further Wisconsin Supreme Court elections have resulted in the unseating of incumbent justices: 1967, 2008, and 2020.Marley Patrick Liberal judge Jill Karofsky Defeats Conservative Justice Daniel Kelly in Closely Watched Wisconsin Supreme Court Race https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2020/04/13/wisconsin-supreme-court-election-results-daniel-kelly-vs-jill-karofsky-conservative-liberal/2986880001/ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 4 April 2025 April 13, 2020 Hughes defeated Rector in all but four of the state's counties. Rector only carried Columbia, Sauk, and his home county of Dane (winning Columbia and Sauk only by slim margins). Hughes carried his home county of Winnebago by a five-to-one margin. Hughes also received substantial leads in nearby Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Outagamie, and Sheboygan counties. Hughes also received strong results in Kenosha, Marathon, Racine –performing particularly strong in the rural areas of those counties. https://www.newspapers.com/article/marshfield-news-herald-hughes-elected-ju/129832017/ Hughes Beats Judge Rector Marshfield News-Herald April 2, 1947 1 August 11, 2023 Newspapers.com Hughes' win was seen as so impressive, that there was near-immediate speculation that he might be a strong candidate to challenge incumbent U.S. senator Alexander Wiley when he would be up for re-election in 1950. 1947 Wisconsin Supreme Court election https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/M65CYC7ECEXCX9D The Wisconsin Blue Book 1948 1948 Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library Ohm Howard F. Kuehn Hazel L. Parties and Elections 689, 690 August 11, 2023 | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 1, 1947 Nonpartisan politician Henry P. Hughes 381,217 51.23 Nonpartisan politician James Ward Rector (incumbent) 245,871 39.21 135,346 21.58 627,088 100 References Category:Wisconsin Supreme Court elections supreme court Wisconsin