1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:	1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1853 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
Previous Year:	1853
Next Election:	1857 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
Next Year:	1857
Election Date:	November 6, 1855
Image1:	Coles Bashford.png
Nominee1:	Coles Bashford
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	36,198
Percentage1:	49.86%
Nominee2:	William A. Barstow
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	36,355
Percentage2:	50.08%
Map Size:	250px
Governor
Before Election:	William A. Barstow
Before Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:	Coles Bashford
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

The 1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1855. Republican Party candidate Coles Bashford was declared the winner after a court challenge, defeating Democratic incumbent William A. Barstow.

Barstow was initially declared the winner of the election, having apparently received just over 50% of the vote.^[1] However, Bashford and the Wisconsin Attorney General, George Baldwin Smith, filed suit in the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the case Atty. Gen. ex rel. Bashford v. Barstow.^[2] ^[3] They alleged that Barstow's allies had created fraudulent election returns in several fake precincts in Wisconsin's northern counties. The court found that Bashford had won the election, and was entitled to the governorship.^[2] Before the court could formally remove him from office, Barstow resigned, leaving his Lieutenant Governor Arthur MacArthur Sr., as acting Governor, until Bashford was sworn in four days later.^[2]

Results

These are the results as originally certified by the Board of State Canvassers. Barstow ultimately did take office for the new term prior to the court rendering its decision that Bashford was the true winner.

Results by county

There were no votes from Kewaunee County, La Crosse County, La Pointe County, and St. Croix County. Dunn County would not vote for a Democrat again until 1970 and Waupaca County would not vote for a Democrat again until 1932.

County	William A. Barstow Democratic		Coles Bashford Republican		Scattering Write-in		Margin		Total votes cast
County		%		%		%		%	Total votes cast
	Adams		376		38.10%		611		61.90%	0	0.00%	-235	-23.81%	987
	Bad Ax		298		49.34%		306		50.66%	0	0.00%	-8	-1.32%	604
	Brown		335		62.50%		201		37.50%	0	0.00%	134	25.00%	536
	Buffalo		115		93.50%		8		6.50%	0	0.00%	107	86.99%	123
	Calumet		377		54.24%		318		45.76%	0	0.00%	59	8.49%	695
	Chippewa		121		61.11%		77		38.89%	0	0.00%	44	22.22%	198
	Clark		45		86.54%		7		13.46%	0	0.00%	38	73.08%	52
	Columbia		906		36.34%		1,580		63.38%	7	0.28%	-674	-27.04%	2,493
	Crawford		163		57.60%		120		42.40%	0	0.00%	43	15.19%	283
	Dane		2,367		49.73%		2,387		50.15%	6	0.13%	-20	-0.42%	4,760
	Dodge		2,364		51.97%		2,185		48.03%	0	0.00%	179	3.93%	4,549
	Door		0		0.00%		81		100.00%	0	0.00%	-81	-100.00%	81
	Douglas		88		91.67%		8		8.33%	0	0.00%	80	83.33%	96
	Dunn		124		74.25%		43		25.75%	0	0.00%	81	48.50%	167
	Fond du Lac		1,722		46.40%		1,989		53.60%	0	0.00%	-267	-7.19%	3,711
	Grant		1,112		41.19%		1,588		58.81%	0	0.00%	-476	-17.63%	2,700
	Green		600		34.78%		1,123		65.10%	2	0.12%	-523	-30.32%	1,725
	Iowa		1,092		58.71%		768		41.29%	0	0.00%	324	17.42%	1,860
	Jackson		114		39.31%		176		60.69%	0	0.00%	-62	-21.38%	290
	Jefferson		1,558		47.07%		1,746		52.75%	6	0.18%	-188	-5.68%	3,310
	Kenosha		610		38.01%		995		61.99%	0	0.00%	-385	-23.99%	1,605
	Lafayette		1,199		61.74%		743		38.26%	0	0.00%	456	23.48%	1,942
	Manitowoc		941		64.06%		528		35.94%	0	0.00%	413	28.11%	1,469
	Marathon		104		53.61%		88		45.36%	2	1.03%	16	8.25%	194
	Marquette		858		41.91%		1,187		57.99%	2	0.10%	-329	-16.07%	2,047
	Milwaukee		4,627		72.52%		1,749		27.41%	4	0.06%	28.78	45.11%	6,380
	Monroe		92		30.16%		213		69.84%	0	0.00%	-121	-39.67%	305
	Oconto		131		59.82%		88		40.18%	0	0.00%	43	19.63%	219
	Outagamie		382		47.69%		414		51.69%	5	0.62%	-32	-4.00%	801
	Ozaukee		1,586		85.36%		271		14.59%	1	0.05%	1,315	70.78%	1,858
	Pierce		55		27.23%		147		72.77%	0	0.00%	-92	-45.54%	202
	Polk		149		88.17%		20		11.83%	0	0.00%	129	76.33%	169
	Portage		235		36.21%		414		63.79%	0	0.00%	-179	-27.58%	649
	Racine		1,344		51.91%		1,245		48.09%	0	0.00%	99	3.82%	2,589
	Richland		186		29.34%		448		70.66%	0	0.00%	-262	-41.32%	634
	Rock		1,018		27.43%		2,690		72.49%	3	0.08%	-1,672	-45.06%	3,711
	Sauk		482		33.61%		950		66.25%	2	0.14%	-468	-32.64%	1,434
	Shawano		38		46.34%		44		53.66%	0	0.00%	-6	-7.32%	82
	Sheboygan		1,306		54.08%		1,108		45.88%	1	0.04%	198	8.20%	2,415
	Trempealeau		18		27.69%		47		72.31%	0	0.00%	-29	-44.62%	65
	Walworth		1,112		34.83%		2,081		65.17%	0	0.00%	-969	-30.35%	3,193
	Washington		2,301		81.31%		528		18.66%	1	0.04%	1,773	62.65%	2,830
	Waukesha		1,512		39.42%		2,324		60.58%	0	0.00%	-812	-21.17%	3,836
	Waupaca		806		67.67%		385		32.33%	0	0.00%	421	35.35%	1,191
	Waushara		248		34.16%		478		65.84%	0	0.00%	-230	-31.68%	726
	Winnebago		1,138		40.18%		1,691		59.71%	3	0.11%	-553	-19.53%	2,832
Total	36,335	50.08%	36,198	49.86%	45	0.06%	157	0.22%	72,598

Counties that flipped from Whig to Democratic

Counties that flipped from Independent to Democratic

Iowa

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Independent to Republican

Notes and References

Book: 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.
Web site: Attorney General ex rel. Bashford v. Barstow . Wisconsin Court System . August 20, 2016.
Web site: The Legislature’s Relationship with the Courts: The Role of Judicial Review in Legislating Wisconsin . Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau . May 2016 . August 20, 2016.