| Election Name: | 1853 Wisconsin gubernatorial election |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1851 Wisconsin gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1851 |
| Next Election: | 1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1855 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1853 |
| Nominee1: | William A. Barstow |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 30,405 |
| Percentage1: | 54.60% |
| Nominee2: | Edward D. Holton |
| Party2: | Independent |
| Popular Vote2: | 21,886 |
| Percentage2: | 39.30% |
| Nominee3: | Henry S. Baird |
| Party3: | Whig Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote3: | 3,304 |
| Percentage3: | 5.93% |
| Map Size: | 250px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Leonard J. Farwell |
| Before Party: | Whig Party (United States) |
| After Election: | William A. Barstow |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 1853 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1853. Democratic candidate William A. Barstow won the election with 55% of the vote, winning his first term as Governor of Wisconsin. Barstow defeated Free Soil Party candidate Edward D. Holton and Whig candidate Henry S. Baird.[1] This would be the last Wisconsin gubernatorial election in which there was a Whig candidate on the ballot.
This was the last election until 1932 in which Adams County and Bad Ax (Vernon) County voted for a Democrat. Additionally, Columbia County would not vote Democratic again until 1924, nor would Green County, Portage County, and Sauk County until 1890.
William A. Barstow was a resident of Waukesha County, and had previously served as Wisconsin's Secretary of State. Before Wisconsin became a state, he was instrumental in creating Waukesha County from what had been the western half of Milwaukee County.
The Wisconsin Democratic Party Convention was held in Janesville in September 1853. Barstow did not intend to seek the nomination for Governor, and, in fact, was supporting A. Hyatt Smith for the nomination. Nevertheless, Barstow's popularity resulted in him receiving five votes on the first ballot, and after Smith deadlocked with Jairus C. Fairchild for seven ballots, Smith withdrew his name and instead endorsed Barstow. Barstow received the nomination on the 13th ballot.[2] [3]
Henry S. Baird was a resident of Green Bay, and was said to be the first practicing lawyer in the Wisconsin Territory. He had served as Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory, appointed by Territorial Governor Henry Dodge, and served on the Territorial Council. He was a delegate to Wisconsin's first Constitutional Convention.
Edward D. Holton was a resident of Milwaukee. He was a businessman and banker, interested in building a railroad to stretch from Milwaukee to the Mississippi River. He was an avowed abolitionist, first as a member of the Liberty Party, and then its successor the Free Soil Party. He was also a supporter of temperance legislation in Wisconsin. The state ticket he headed in 1853 was referred to as the "People's Ticket" and stood in general opposition to the Democratic ticket.[4]
| County | William A. Barstow Democratic | Edward D. Holton Independent | Henry S. Baird Whig | Scattering Write-in | Margin | Total votes cast | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Adams | 122 | 51.91% | 38 | 16.17% | 57 | 24.26% | 18 | 7.66% | 65 | 27.66% | 235 | ||||||||||||
| Bad Ax | 208 | 71.23% | 7 | 2.40% | 77 | 26.37% | 0 | 0.00% | 131 | 44.86% | 292 | ||||||||||||
| Brown | 254 | 40.06% | 33 | 5.21% | 334 | 52.68% | 13 | 2.05% | -80 | -12.62% | 634 | ||||||||||||
| Calumet | 250 | 57.74% | 90 | 20.79% | 93 | 21.48% | 0 | 0.00% | 157 | 36.26% | 433 | ||||||||||||
| Columbia | 816 | 47.22% | 706 | 40.86% | 206 | 11.92% | 0 | 0.00% | 110 | 6.37% | 1,728 | ||||||||||||
| Crawford | 118 | 69.01% | 24 | 14.04% | 29 | 16.96% | 0 | 0.00% | 89 | 52.05% | 171 | ||||||||||||
| Dane | 1,620 | 53.17% | 1,234 | 40.50% | 177 | 5.81% | 16 | 0.53% | 386 | 12.67% | 3,047 | ||||||||||||
| Dodge | 1,992 | 57.89% | 1,418 | 41.21% | 31 | 0.90% | 0 | 0.00% | 574 | 16.68% | 3,441 | ||||||||||||
| Fond du Lac | 1,489 | 54.01% | 1,217 | 44.14% | 51 | 1.85% | 0 | 0.00% | 272 | 9.87% | 2,757 | ||||||||||||
| Grant | 988 | 44.73% | 1,026 | 46.45% | 195 | 8.83% | 0 | 0.00% | -38 | -1.72% | 2,209 | ||||||||||||
| Green | 769 | 46.05% | 748 | 44.79% | 153 | 9.16% | 0 | 0.00% | 21 | 1.26% | 1,670 | ||||||||||||
| Iowa | 402 | 45.68% | 464 | 52.73% | 14 | 1.59% | 0 | 0.00% | -62 | -7.05% | 880 | ||||||||||||
| Jackson | 113 | 88.98% | 14 | 11.02% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 99 | 77.95% | 127 | ||||||||||||
| Jefferson | 1,490 | 46.71% | 1,591 | 49.87% | 108 | 3.39% | 1 | 0.03% | -101 | -3.17% | 3,190 | ||||||||||||
| Kenosha | 590 | 41.96% | 812 | 57.75% | 4 | 0.28% | 0 | 0.00% | -222 | -15.79% | 1,406 | ||||||||||||
| La Crosse | 276 | 56.67% | 150 | 30.80% | 61 | 12.53% | 0 | 0.00% | 126 | 25.87% | 487 | ||||||||||||
| La Pointe | 39 | 97.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 2.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 38 | 95.00% | 40 | ||||||||||||
| Lafayette | 1,026 | 59.44% | 420 | 24.33% | 280 | 16.22% | 0 | 0.00% | 606 | 35.11% | 1,726 | ||||||||||||
| Manitowoc | 854 | 88.22% | 46 | 4.75% | 67 | 6.92% | 1 | 0.10% | 787 | 81.30% | 968 | ||||||||||||
| Marathon | 205 | 49.16% | 4 | 0.96% | 208 | 49.88% | 0 | 0.00% | -3 | -0.72% | 417 | ||||||||||||
| Marquette | 641 | 42.53% | 852 | 56.54% | 14 | 0.93% | 0 | 0.00% | -211 | -14.00% | 1,507 | ||||||||||||
| Milwaukee | 4,184 | 75.20% | 1,334 | 23.98% | 24 | 0.43% | 22 | 0.40% | 2,850 | 51.22% | 5,564 | ||||||||||||
| Oconto | 90 | 42.86% | 0 | 0.00% | 120 | 57.14% | 0 | 0.00% | -30 | -14.29% | 210 | ||||||||||||
| Outagamie | 267 | 54.38% | 206 | 41.96% | 18 | 3.67% | 0 | 0.00% | 61 | 14.29% | 491 | ||||||||||||
| Ozaukee | 1,155 | 86.58% | 179 | 13.42% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 976 | 73.16% | 1,334 | ||||||||||||
| Pierce | 71 | 67.62% | 0 | 0.00% | 34 | 32.38% | 0 | 0.00% | 37 | 35.24% | 105 | ||||||||||||
| Portage | 367 | 63.49% | 56 | 9.69% | 154 | 26.64% | 1 | 0.17% | 213 | 36.85% | 578 | ||||||||||||
| Racine | 1,239 | 50.39% | 1,214 | 49.37% | 6 | 0.24% | 0 | 0.00% | 25 | 1.02% | 2,459 | ||||||||||||
| Richland | 185 | 56.92% | 127 | 39.08% | 13 | 4.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 58 | 17.85% | 325 | ||||||||||||
| Rock | 1,375 | 38.80% | 1,832 | 51.69% | 337 | 9.51% | 0 | 0.00% | -457 | -12.90% | 3,544 | ||||||||||||
| Sauk | 641 | 54.74% | 472 | 40.31% | 55 | 4.70% | 3 | 0.26% | 169 | 14.43% | 1,171 | ||||||||||||
| Sheboygan | 1,389 | 67.07% | 676 | 32.64% | 4 | 0.19% | 2 | 0.10% | 713 | 34.43% | 2,071 | ||||||||||||
| Walworth | 1,062 | 37.28% | 1,584 | 55.60% | 203 | 7.13% | 0 | 0.00% | -522 | -18.32% | 2,849 | ||||||||||||
| Washington | 1,462 | 82.46% | 310 | 17.48% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.06% | 1,152 | 64.97% | 1,773 | ||||||||||||
| Waukesha | 1,594 | 48.84% | 1,610 | 49.33% | 54 | 1.65% | 6 | 0.18% | -16 | -0.49% | 3,264 | ||||||||||||
| Waupaca | 217 | 51.79% | 152 | 36.28% | 50 | 11.93% | 0 | 0.00% | 65 | 15.51% | 419 | ||||||||||||
| Waushara | 135 | 36.68% | 232 | 63.04% | 1 | 0.27% | 0 | 0.00% | -97 | -26.36% | 368 | ||||||||||||
| Winnebago | 710 | 39.60% | 1,008 | 56.22% | 71 | 3.96% | 4 | 0.22% | -298 | -16.62% | 1,793 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 30,405 | 54.60% | 21,886 | 39.30% | 3,304 | 5.93% | 88 | 0.16% | 8,519 | 15.30% | 55,683 | ||||||||||||