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1875 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

In this article, we will explore the fascinating world of 1875 United States Senate election in Wisconsin. From its origins to its impact on today's society, 1875 United States Senate election in Wisconsin has played a fundamental role in human history. Over the years, it has sparked debate, inspired technological advances, and been the subject of countless studies and research. Through this article, we will discover the various aspects that make 1875 United States Senate election in Wisconsin such a relevant topic and worthy of being explored in depth.

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For related races, see 1874–75 United States Senate elections.

1875 United States Senate election in Wisconsin
← 1869
January 27, 1875 – February 3, 1875
1881 →
 
Nominee Angus Cameron Matthew H. Carpenter others
Party Republican Republican
Legislative vote 68 59 5
Percentage 52.52% 44.70% 3.79%
U.S. senator before election

Matthew H. Carpenter
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Angus Cameron
Republican

The 1875 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held in the 28th Wisconsin Legislature between January 27, 1875, and February 3, 1875. Incumbent Republican U.S. senator Matthew H. Carpenter ran for a second six-year term, but was defeated by a determined rebellion from within his own party. Former state legislator, Republican Angus Cameron, was elected United States senator on the 11th ballot.[1] This was the first time that one of Wisconsin's U.S. senators had been defeated seeking re-election.

At the start of the 1875 term, Republicans held majorities in both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature with 14 votes to spare, so should have been able to quickly elect a Republican United States senator. But accusations of corruption against the incumbent, Matt Carpenter, had caused a significant number of Republican legislators to pledge to voters that they would not support Carpenter's re-election to the U.S. Senate. Despite Carpenter winning enough support in the Republican caucus to obtain renomination, the holdouts refused to fall in line with the party and denied his re-election. Ultimately, Cameron was selected as a consensus choice merging the support of the 19 holdout Republicans with 49 of the 52 Democratic, Liberal Republican, or Reformer legislators.

Major candidates

Democratic

Republican

Results

Republican nomination

Prior to the caucus, Carpenter faced opposition in the caucus, but was still widely expected to win re-election in Wisconsin newspapers. During the two months between the legislative elections and the start of the legislative session, Carpenter was consumed with activity in Washington, D.C., where he was serving as presiding officer of the Senate due to the absence of Vice President Henry Wilson.[2] At the time, Carpenter's leading opponent for the nomination was former Wisconsin governor Cadwallader C. Washburn, who had been a candidate for U.S. senate in each of the last four opportunities. The Wisconsin press concluded that one of the two would certainly be the next senator.[3]

The Republican caucus met on the evening of January 21. On the first ballot, Carpenter secured the nomination with 54 of 81 votes. Republican newspapers urged legislators to fall in line and support the nominee, as rumors began to emerge of a planned revolt.[4]

Votes on January 27, 1875

The legislature met in joint session on January 27 with only one member absent. They took two votes in succession to try to pick a U.S. senator. The results were identical, no candidate reached a majority.

1st & 2nd Votes of the 28th Wisconsin Legislature, January 27, 1875[1]
Party Candidate Ballots
1st 2nd
Republican Matthew H. Carpenter 59 59
Democratic Edward S. Bragg 52 52
Republican Orsamus Cole 13 13
Republican George W. Allen 2 2
Republican Romanzo Bunn 2 2
Republican Horace Rublee 2 2
Republican Luther S. Dixon 1[a] 1[a]
Republican Lucius Fairchild 1[b] 1[b]
Absent 1 1
Needed for majority 67 67
Total votes 132 132

Votes on January 28, 1875

The legislature reconvened in joint session on January 28 and took three more votes. The three votes had nearly identical results; again no candidate reached a majority.

3rd, 4th, & 5th Votes of the 28th Wisconsin Legislature, January 28, 1875[1]
Party Candidate Ballots
3rd 4th 5th
Republican Matthew H. Carpenter 59 59 59
Democratic Edward S. Bragg 52 52 51[c]
Republican Orsamus Cole 18 17[d] 17
Republican Luther S. Dixon 1[a] 1[a] 1[a]
Republican Horace Rublee 1[e] 1[e] 1[e]
Republican Romanzo Bunn 1[f] 1[f] 1[f]
Republican Angus Cameron 0 1[g] 1[g]
Democratic Stephen D. Carpenter 0 0 1[c]
Absent 1 1 1
Needed for majority 67 67 67
Total votes 132 132 132

Votes on January 29, 1875

Two more votes were taken on January 29, with identical results.

6th & 7th Vote of the 28th Wisconsin Legislature, January 29, 1875[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Matthew H. Carpenter (incumbent) 60[h] 45.45% +1
Democratic Edward S. Bragg 52[i] 39.39% +1
Republican Orsamus Cole 17[j] 12.88%
Republican David Atwood 1[k] 0.76% +1
Republican Romanzo Bunn 1[f] 0.76%
Republican Angus Cameron 1[g] 0.76%
Majority 67 50.76%
Total votes 132 99.25%
Void election result

Vote on January 30, 1875

A larger number of legislators were absent from the votes on January 30 and February 1, reducing the number needed for a majority, but still no candidate could reach the threshold.

8th Vote of the 28th Wisconsin Legislature, January 30, 1875[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Matthew H. Carpenter (incumbent) 51 43.97% −9
Democratic Edward S. Bragg 44 37.93% −8
Republican Orsamus Cole 13 11.21% −4
Republican Joshua J. Guppey 3[l] 2.59% +3
Republican David Atwood 1[k] 0.86%
Republican Romanzo Bunn 1[f] 0.86%
Republican Angus Cameron 1[g] 0.86%
Majority 58 50.88% −9
Total votes 114 85.71% -18
Void election result

Vote on February 1, 1875

9th Vote of the 28th Wisconsin Legislature, February 1, 1875[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Matthew H. Carpenter (incumbent) 45 44.12% −6
Democratic Edward S. Bragg 37 36.27% −7
Republican Orsamus Cole 17 16.67% +4
Republican George Cochrane Hazelton 1[m] 0.98% +1
Republican Romanzo Bunn 1[f] 0.98%
Republican William T. Price 1[n] 0.98% +1
Majority 52 50.98% −6
Total votes 102 76.69% -12
Void election result

Vote on February 2, 1875

10th Vote of the 28th Wisconsin Legislature, February 2, 1875[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Matthew H. Carpenter (incumbent) 59 46.09% +14
Democratic Edward S. Bragg 50 39.06% +13
Republican Orsamus Cole 17 13.28%
Republican George Cochrane Hazelton 2 1.56% +1
Majority 65 50.78% +13
Total votes 128 96.24% +26
Void election result

Vote on February 3, 1875

On the evening of February 2, 1875, the Democrats caucused with the holdout Republicans and agreed to a compromise candidate to merge their voting power—the caucus chose former speaker Angus Cameron. Wisconsin newspapers credited U.S. representative and railroad financier Alexander Mitchell with facilitating the negotiation.[5] The legislature re-convened in joint session on February 3, and voted again, with nearly all the Democrats supporting Cameron, he achieving a majority on the 11th overall ballot.

11th Vote of the 28th Wisconsin Legislature, February 3, 1875[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Angus Cameron 68[o] 52.52% +68
Republican Matthew H. Carpenter (incumbent) 59[p] 44.70%
Republican George Cochrane Hazelton 3[q] 2.27% +1
Republican Luther S. Dixon 1[r] 0.76% +1
Republican John G. Clark 1[s] 0.76% +1
Majority 67 50.76% +2
Total votes 132 99.25% +4
Republican hold

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Republican senator John Schuette was the lone vote for Luther S. Dixon on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th ballots.
  2. ^ a b Republican representative Leroy S. Chase was the lone vote for Lucius Fairchild on the 1st and 2nd ballots.
  3. ^ a b On the 5th ballot, Liberal Republican representative Job Grant switched his vote from Bragg to Stephen D. Carpenter.
  4. ^ On the 4th ballot, Republican representative John Bradley switched his support from Orsamus Cole to Angus Cameron.
  5. ^ a b c Republican representative Benjamin M. Coates was the lone vote for Horace Rublee on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th ballot.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Republican representative Noah D. Comstock was the lone vote for Romanzo Bunn on the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th ballots.
  7. ^ a b c d Republican representative John Bradley was the lone vote for Angus Cameron on the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th ballots.
  8. ^ On the 6th vote, Republican representative John H. Thomas switched his vote from Orsamus Cole to Matt Carpenter.
  9. ^ On the 6th ballot, Liberal Republican Job Grant switched his vote from Stephen D. Carpenter back to Bragg.
  10. ^ On the 6th ballot, Orsamus Cole lost the vote of Republican representative John H. Thomas, but gained the vote of Republican senator John Schuette.
  11. ^ a b Republican representative Benjamin M. Coates was the lone vote for David Atwood on the 6th, 7th, and 8th ballots.
  12. ^ On the 8th ballot, Joshua J. Guppey received votes from Republican senator Levi W. Barden and Republican representatives Robert Mitchell and John R. Rowlands (all had previously voted for Cole).
  13. ^ On the 9th ballot, Republican representative Benjamin M. Coates voted for Hazelton.
  14. ^ On the 9th ballot, Reformer representative Richard Dewhurst voted for William T. Price.
  15. ^ On the 11th ballot, Cameron received the votes of all Democrats, Liberal Republicans, and Reformers, except for representative Bryan S. Lorigan (who voted for Carpenter)—49; he also received the votes of several Republicans, including senators Levi W. Barden, Robert C. Field, Sylvester Nevins, and John Schuette, and representatives John Anderson, Ole Anderson, Marcus Barden, John Bradley, Leroy S. Chase, Noah D. Comstock, Charles Dunlap, John B. Dwinnell, Gustav Gotze, Frank A. Leach, Robert Mitchell (Wisconsin politician), James E. Newell, Marvin Osborne, John R. Rowlands, and David E. Welch—19.
  16. ^ On the 11th ballot, Carpenter received the votes of 58 of 81 Republicans. From the 10th ballot, he lost the votes of Republican representatives John Chandler Holloway (who voted for Dixon) and James Jeffery (who voted for Hazelton), and gained the votes of Republican representative John H. Thomas (who had previously been absent) and Democratic representative Bryan S. Lorigan (who previously voted for Bragg).
  17. ^ On the 11th ballot, Hazelton received the votes of Republican representatives Benjamin M. Coates, James Jeffery, and Benjamin F. Washburn.
  18. ^ On the 11th ballot, Republican senator John Chandler Holloway voted for Dixon.
  19. ^ On the 11th ballot, Republican representative Kearton Coates voted for Clark.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Journal of Proceedings of the Wisconsin Legislature (Report). Wisconsin Legislature. 1875. pp. 64–68, 77–80, 92–94, 102–103, 114–115, 125–127, 139–140. Retrieved March 6, 2025 – via HathiTrust.
  2. ^ "Carpenter Re-elected". Wisconsin State Journal. December 23, 1874. p. 1. Retrieved March 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Twenty-Eighth Legislative Session". Wisconsin State Journal. January 12, 1875. p. 1. Retrieved March 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "The Senatorial Situation". Wisconsin State Journal. January 25, 1875. p. 1. Retrieved March 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "The Dead Lock Broken". Wisconsin State Journal. February 3, 1875. p. 1. Retrieved March 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
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