1891 United States Senate election in Wisconsin
January 28, 1891
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| Elections in Wisconsin |
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The 1891 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held in the 40th Wisconsin Legislature on January 28, 1891. Incumbent Republican U.S. senator John C. Spooner ran for a second term, but lost the election to former U.S. postmaster general and U.S. secretary of the interior William F. Vilas.[1][2]
In the 1891 term, Democrats held significant majorities in both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature, so had more than enough votes to elect a Democratic United States senator. This was the first time the Democrats were able to elect a U.S. Senator in Wisconsin since the election of Henry Dodge in 1851.
Major candidates
Democratic
- William F. Vilas, former U.S. postmaster general and former U.S. secretary of the interior.
Republican
- John Coit Spooner, incumbent U.S. senator.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William F. Vilas | 82 | 64.57% | ||
| Republican | John Coit Spooner (incumbent) | 45 | 35.43% | ||
| Absent or not voting | 6 | ||||
| Majority | 64 | 50.39% | |||
| Total votes | 127 | 95.49% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
References
- ^ a b "January 28, 1891". State of Wisconsin Assembly Journal (Report). Wisconsin Legislature. 1891. pp. 79, 80, 87. Retrieved March 19, 2025 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ a b "January 27, 1891". State of Wisconsin Senate Journal (Report). Wisconsin Legislature. 1891. pp. 42–43. Retrieved March 19, 2025 – via HathiTrust.