1881 United States Senate election in Wisconsin
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| Elections in Wisconsin |
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The 1881 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held in the 34th Wisconsin Legislature January 26, 1881. Incumbent Republican U.S. senator Angus Cameron did not run for re-election. Republican former U.S. representative Philetus Sawyer was elected United States senator on the first ballot.[1]
In the 1881 term, Republicans held overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature, so had more than enough votes to elect a Republican United States senator. The main contest was in the Republican legislative caucus, but the former U.S. representative, Sawyer, was quickly nominated after demonstrating a clear majority of support.
Major candidates
Democratic
- James Graham Jenkins, prominent attorney from Milwaukee.
Republican
- Elisha W. Keyes, head of the "Madison Regency" political machine and de-facto head of the Republican Party of Wisconsin throughout this era, former mayor of Madison.
- Philetus Sawyer, former U.S representative and former mayor of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Results
Republican nomination
Prior to the 1880 legislative elections, Sawyer made it clear that he was seeking to succeed Angus Cameron as United States senator, supporting allies in legislative nominating contests throughout the state.[2] After the election, Sawyer was projected to easily achieve a majority of the caucus on the first ballot. Those predictions were confirmed when the Republican caucus met on January 19, 1881. An informal poll found a clear majority for Sawyer's nomination, and the caucus then chose to formally recognize him as their nominee by acclamation.[3]
Official vote
The 34th Wisconsin Legislature met in joint session on January 26, 1881, to elect a U.S. senator. The voting went almost exactly along party lines, with three members absent. Of the members present and voting, Philetus Sawyer received the votes of all but two Republican legislators, winning the election.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Philetus Sawyer | 98[a] | 75.38% | ||
| Democratic | James Graham Jenkins | 29 | 22.31% | ||
| Republican | Cadwallader C. Washburn | 2[b] | 1.54% | ||
| Democratic | Charles D. Parker | 1[c] | 0.77% | ||
| Absent or not voting | 3 | ||||
| Majority | 66 | 50.77% | |||
| Total votes | 130 | 97.74% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
Notes
- ^ Sawyer received the votes of all Republicans except representatives Albert O. Chamberlain, Henry B. Howe, Walter Maxwell (who were all absent), and representatives John H. Case and Thomas M. Corbett (who voted for Washburn).
- ^ Republican representatives John H. Case and Thomas M. Corbett voted for Cadwallader C. Washburn.
- ^ Democratic senator Matthew Anderson voted for Charles D. Parker.
References
- ^ a b c "January 26, 1881". Journal of Proceedings of the Wisconsin Legislature (Report). Wisconsin Legislature. 1881. pp. 92–93. Retrieved March 11, 2025 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ "Sawyer and the Ring". The Daily Milwaukee News. October 9, 1880. p. 2. Retrieved March 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Contest Closed". Wisconsin State Journal. January 20, 1881. p. 1. Retrieved March 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.