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1916 United States presidential election in Wisconsin

Main article: 1916 United States presidential election

The 1916 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 7, 1916 as part of the 1916 United States presidential election. State voters chose 13 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1916 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
← 1912 November 7, 1916 1920 →
 
Nominee Charles Evans Hughes Woodrow Wilson Allan L. Benson
Party Republican Democratic Socialist
Home state New York New Jersey New York
Running mate Charles W. Fairbanks Thomas R. Marshall George Ross Kirkpatrick
Electoral vote 13 0
Popular vote 221,323 193,042 27,846
Percentage 49.25% 42.96% 6.20%
County Results
President before election

Woodrow Wilson
Democratic

Elected President

Woodrow Wilson
Democratic

Ever since the decline of the Populist movement, Wisconsin had become almost a one-party state dominated by the Republican Party.[1] The Democratic Party became entirely uncompetitive outside certain German Catholic counties adjoining Lake Michigan as the upper classes, along with the majority of workers who followed them, completely fled from William Jennings Bryan's agrarian and free silver sympathies.[2] As Democratic strength weakened severely after 1894 – although the state did develop a strong Socialist Party to provide opposition to the GOP – Wisconsin developed the direct Republican primary in 1903 and this ultimately created competition between the "League" under Robert M. La Follette, and the conservative "Regular" faction.[3]

At the turn of the decade, the Democratic Party underwent a brief revival, as it made significant gains upon its small share of state legislative seats and many people in the state saw in New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson the possibility of the party returning to the ideals it was felt to have deserted with Bryan fifteen years beforehand.[4] Wilson would carry Wisconsin in 1912 and in fact improve upon Bryan's share of the vote from 1908.

During his term, however, Wisconsin's heavily German-American population turned against Wilson, with the result that in 1914 the Democrats lost ground in the state legislature, and with the outbreak of war in Europe this opposition increased, because the concurrent Irish rebellion was believed to lie in the interests of the Central Powers, and Wilson was viewed as strongly pro-British.[5] The position of President Wilson as strongly pro-British was intensified when he failed to accept clemency for Roger Casement.[5]

Republican nominee Charles Evans Hughes campaigned in the state during September,[6] but President Wilson did not campaign in the state, although it was viewed as doubtful in September despite strong feelings that German-American opposition would eliminate Wilson's chance.[7] Near the end of October, a Tennessean polls suggested that Wilson would carry the state due to his anti-war sentiment,[8] but the Los Angeles Times said Hughes would carry the state by a "moderate margin" despite a straw poll in favour of Wilson.[9] The Oshkosh Northwestern on October 26 viewed the state as "doubtful", but said their polls indicated Hughes would win by around fifteen thousand votes.[10]

Results

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General Election Results[11][a]
Party Pledged to Elector Votes
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes L. K. Baker 221,323
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes William W. Storms 221,215
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes Frank Smith 221,181
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes Walter J. Kohler 221,026
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes Fred C. Pritzlaff 221,011
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes O. G. Munson 220,979
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes L. M. Alexander 220,968
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes H. D. Lauson 220,952
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes G. A. Walter Jr. 220,923
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes John S. Medary 220,897
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes O. K. Hawley 220,866
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes A. H. Stange 220,866
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes James T. Drought 220,857
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson John C. Karel 193,042
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson Charles W. Wiesse 191,857
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson J. E. Dodge 191,834
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson Vincent J. Schoenecker 191,692
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson W. J. Kershaw 191,665
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson Aldro Jenks 191,562
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson Andrew R. McDonald 191,548
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson Henry Moehlenpah 191,491
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson John R. Matthews 191,488
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson L. J. Pasternecki 191,483
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson Otto C. Wernecke 191,469
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson J. H. Cernahan 191,450
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson J. A. Hobe 191,245
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson A. J. Melms 27,846
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson Oscar Ameringer 27,802
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson Edward Ziegler 27,739
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson James Vint 27,703
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson Charles H. Olson 27,692
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson John Doerfler Sr. 27,678
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson John Chilson 27,665
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson Edward D. Deuss 27,656
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson Robert Schuttler 27,656
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson Curtis A. Boorman 27,637
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson G. M. Schmitz 27,631
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson D. V. Lawell 27,621
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson Otto F. Eick 27,600
Prohibition Party James Hanly Anthony J. Benjamin 7,166
Prohibition Party James Hanly Frank R. Derrick 7,130
Prohibition Party James Hanly Charles Schlafer 7,117
Prohibition Party James Hanly Louis M. Sagen 7,110
Prohibition Party James Hanly Jasper Dexter 7,108
Prohibition Party James Hanly Herbert S. Siggelko 7,104
Prohibition Party James Hanly Almon I. Collins 7,096
Prohibition Party James Hanly Pliny F. Meyers 7,093
Prohibition Party James Hanly William R. Nethercut 7,084
Prohibition Party James Hanly Oliver Needham 7,076
Prohibition Party James Hanly Charles E. Badger 7,068
Prohibition Party James Hanly David W. Emerson 7,047
Prohibition Party James Hanly Waldemar Ager 7,025
Write-in Scattering 25
Votes cast[b] 449,402

Results by county

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County[11][12][13] Charles Evans Hughes
Republican 		Woodrow Wilson
Democratic 		Allan L. Benson
Socialist 		James Hanly
Prohibition 		Margin Total votes cast[c][d]
# % # % # % # % # %
Adams 957 51.15% 824 44.04% 48 2.57% 42 2.24% 133 7.11% 1,871
Ashland 2,017 51.94% 1,599 41.18% 189 4.87% 78 2.01% 418 10.76% 3,883
Barron 2,772 54.91% 1,890 37.44% 136 2.69% 250 4.95% 882 17.47% 5,048
Bayfield 1,321 51.12% 997 38.58% 225 8.71% 41 1.59% 324 12.54% 2,584
Brown 4,132 40.01% 5,771 55.88% 223 2.16% 201 1.95% -1,639 -15.87% 10,327
Buffalo 1,492 56.56% 1,044 39.58% 63 2.39% 39 1.48% 448 16.98% 2,638
Burnett 1,007 53.97% 638 34.19% 169 9.06% 52 2.79% 369 19.77% 1,866
Calumet 1,981 57.20% 1,384 39.97% 74 2.14% 24 0.69% 597 17.24% 3,463
Chippewa 3,327 58.15% 2,234 39.05% 72 1.26% 88 1.54% 1,093 19.11% 5,721
Clark 3,413 64.95% 1,629 31.00% 129 2.45% 84 1.60% 1,784 33.95% 5,255
Columbia 3,432 57.66% 2,314 38.88% 80 1.34% 126 2.12% 1,118 18.78% 5,952
Crawford 1,883 50.66% 1,764 47.46% 32 0.86% 38 1.02% 119 3.20% 3,717
Dane 6,947 40.04% 9,923 57.19% 190 1.10% 291 1.68% -2,976 -17.15% 17,351
Dodge 4,916 50.73% 4,535 46.80% 111 1.15% 128 1.32% 381 3.93% 9,690
Door 1,656 56.27% 1,204 40.91% 38 1.29% 45 1.53% 452 15.36% 2,943
Douglas 3,060 43.82% 2,971 42.55% 798 11.43% 154 2.21% 89 1.27% 6,983
Dunn 2,589 60.20% 1,457 33.88% 172 4.00% 83 1.93% 1,132 26.32% 4,301
Eau Claire 2,961 53.19% 2,302 41.35% 187 3.36% 117 2.10% 659 11.84% 5,567
Florence 412 69.36% 162 27.27% 9 1.52% 11 1.85% 250 42.09% 594
Fond du Lac 5,820 51.86% 5,118 45.61% 130 1.16% 154 1.37% 702 6.26% 11,222
Forest 739 52.15% 638 45.02% 18 1.27% 22 1.55% 101 7.13% 1,417
Grant 4,720 56.30% 3,460 41.27% 70 0.84% 133 1.59% 1,260 15.03% 8,383
Green 2,446 55.84% 1,699 38.79% 65 1.48% 170 3.88% 747 17.05% 4,380
Green Lake 1,650 53.07% 1,353 43.52% 34 1.09% 47 1.51% 297 9.55% 3,109[e]
Iowa 2,271 48.79% 2,230 47.91% 19 0.41% 135 2.90% 41 0.88% 4,655
Iron 672 54.63% 475 38.62% 43 3.50% 40 3.25% 197 16.02% 1,230
Jackson 1,866 64.10% 966 33.18% 50 1.72% 29 1.00% 900 30.92% 2,911
Jefferson 3,809 49.54% 3,676 47.81% 84 1.09% 120 1.56% 133 1.73% 7,689
Juneau 2,335 58.99% 1,449 36.61% 109 2.75% 65 1.64% 886 22.39% 3,958
Kenosha 3,537 50.99% 2,817 40.61% 497 7.16% 86 1.24% 720 10.38% 6,937
Kewaunee 1,104 35.04% 2,011 63.82% 20 0.63% 16 0.51% -907 -28.78% 3,151
La Crosse 3,659 44.57% 4,160 50.68% 281 3.42% 109 1.33% -501 -6.10% 8,209
Lafayette 2,545 54.09% 2,059 43.76% 18 0.38% 83 1.76% 486 10.33% 4,705
Langlade 1,540 45.10% 1,757 51.45% 81 2.37% 37 1.08% -217 -6.35% 3,415
Lincoln 2,191 60.74% 1,282 35.54% 98 2.72% 36 1.00% 909 25.20% 3,607
Manitowoc 4,236 46.43% 4,364 47.84% 453 4.97% 70 0.77% -128 -1.40% 9,123
Marathon 5,868 57.13% 3,702 36.04% 607 5.91% 95 0.92% 2,166 21.09% 10,272
Marinette 2,807 53.40% 2,212 42.08% 146 2.78% 92 1.75% 595 11.32% 5,257
Marquette 1,385 58.86% 924 39.27% 15 0.64% 29 1.23% 461 19.59% 2,353
Milwaukee 27,957 34.73% 35,041 43.53% 17,076 21.21% 427 0.53% -7,084 -8.80% 80,501
Monroe 3,068 57.81% 2,012 37.91% 121 2.28% 106 2.00% 1,056 19.90% 5,307
Oconto 2,614 56.45% 1,907 41.18% 70 1.51% 40 0.86% 707 15.27% 4,631
Oneida 1,103 45.02% 1,085 44.29% 249 10.16% 13 0.53% 18 0.73% 2,450
Outagamie 5,346 52.84% 4,505 44.52% 166 1.64% 101 1.00% 841 8.31% 10,118
Ozaukee 1,610 49.39% 1,579 48.44% 51 1.56% 20 0.61% 31 0.95% 3,260
Pepin 766 53.19% 623 43.26% 25 1.74% 26 1.81% 143 9.93% 1,440
Pierce 1,946 51.88% 1,652 44.04% 72 1.92% 81 2.16% 294 7.84% 3,751
Polk 2,080 51.19% 1,714 42.19% 195 4.80% 74 1.82% 366 9.01% 4,063
Portage 2,523 44.54% 3,001 52.98% 71 1.25% 69 1.22% -478 -8.44% 5,664
Price 1,621 56.36% 1,051 36.54% 147 5.11% 57 1.98% 570 19.82% 2,876
Racine[f][12][13] 4,496 42.26% 5,083 47.78% 605 5.69% 455 4.28% -587 -5.52% 10,639
Richland 2,053 48.55% 1,848 43.70% 89 2.10% 239 5.65% 205 4.85% 4,229
Rock 7,042 61.11% 4,032 34.99% 223 1.94% 227 1.97% 3,010 26.12% 11,524
Rusk 989 47.62% 926 44.58% 114 5.49% 48 2.31% 63 3.03% 2,077
Sauk 3,786 59.53% 2,276 35.79% 43 0.68% 255 4.01% 1,510 23.74% 6,360
Sawyer 551 46.62% 562 47.55% 51 4.31% 18 1.52% -11 -0.93% 1,182
Shawano 3,417 68.72% 1,368 27.51% 130 2.61% 57 1.15% 2,049 41.21% 4,972
Sheboygan 5,573 52.89% 3,903 37.04% 976 9.26% 85 0.81% 1,670 15.85% 10,537
St. Croix 2,739 50.99% 2,373 44.17% 176 3.28% 84 1.56% 366 6.81% 5,372
Taylor 1,544 60.17% 846 32.97% 136 5.30% 40 1.56% 698 27.20% 2,566
Trempealeau 2,139 56.05% 1,578 41.35% 29 0.76% 70 1.83% 561 14.70% 3,816
Vernon 2,928 58.64% 1,839 36.83% 49 0.98% 177 3.54% 1,089 21.81% 4,993
Vilas 531 48.49% 467 42.65% 81 7.40% 16 1.46% 64 5.84% 1,095
Walworth 4,004 59.60% 2,458 36.59% 57 0.85% 199 2.96% 1,546 23.01% 6,718
Washburn 938 55.31% 647 38.15% 77 4.54% 34 2.00% 291 17.16% 1,696
Washington 2,896 50.31% 2,736 47.53% 75 1.30% 49 0.85% 160 2.78% 5,756
Waukesha 3,778 45.15% 4,219 50.42% 146 1.74% 225 2.69% -441 -5.27% 8,368
Waupaca 4,493 69.85% 1,721 26.76% 98 1.52% 120 1.87% 2,772 43.10% 6,432
Waushara 2,345 67.31% 1,015 29.13% 78 2.24% 46 1.32% 1,330 38.17% 3,484
Winnebago 5,993 50.51% 5,328 44.90% 383 3.23% 162 1.37% 665 5.60% 11,866
Wood 2,979 50.30% 2,653 44.80% 204 3.44% 86 1.45% 326 5.50% 5,922
Total 221,323 49.25% 193,042 42.96% 27,846 6.20% 7,166 1.59% 28,281 6.29% 449,402

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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Counties that flipped from Progressive to Republican

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Analysis

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As things turned out, Wisconsin would be comfortably, if not overwhelmingly, carried by Republican nominee Hughes, who won the state by 6.29 percentage points. Signs of the collapse of German Catholic Democratic loyalties were seen in Hughes carrying Ozaukee County, which no Republican had ever won before and was Wisconsin's only county to resist major Republican landslides by backing both William Jennings Bryan in 1896 and 1900 and Alton Brooks Parker in 1904.[14] This German Catholic Democratic collapse – broken abruptly by a powerful vote for coreligionist Al Smith in 1928 and for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 – would be a major feature of interwar Wisconsin presidential politics.

By backing Wilson, Portage County voted for the statewide loser for the first time ever; the county's bellwether streak had extended all the way back to Wisconsin's statehood in 1848. Simultaneously, this election began several very long bellwether streaks in other counties: Adams County and Jackson County would back the statewide winner in every election until 2020; Washburn County in every election until 2000; Burnett County in every election until 1980; and Eau Claire County in every election until 1968.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The 1917 Blue Book gives the totals as Hughes 220,822; Wilson 191,363; Benson 27,631; Hanly 7,318; and no Scattering. Based on the Board of Canvassers report, these numbers are simply incorrect. No elector on any ticket received those numbers of votes. Indeed, the Blue Book is an unreliable source for Wisconsin election data from about 1890 to 1920 and its figures frequently differ from the figures listed in the Board of Canvassers reports. The 1917 Blue Book also excludes the soldier vote for the presidential election (although it includes it for the state election). The soldier vote was recorded by county, separate from the regular home vote.
  2. ^ Based on totals for highest elector on each ticket
  3. ^ Based on highest elector on each ticket
  4. ^ Includes the separately reported soldier vote
  5. ^ Includes 25 Scattering votes
  6. ^ The 1917 Blue Book has a critical mistake in this county: it swaps the votes for Wilson and Hughes. However, the original report by the Board of Canvassers clearly shows the Democratic ticket receiving more votes than the Republican ticket. Thus, it was actually Wilson who won Racine County in 1916 and not Hughes.

References

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  1. ^ Burnham, Walter Dean; 'The System of 1896: An Analysis'; in The Evolution of American Electoral Systems, pp. 178-179 ISBN 0-313-21379-8
  2. ^ Sundquist, James; Politics and Policy: The Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Years, p. 526 ISBN 0-8157-1909-4
  3. ^ Hansen, John Mark; Shigeo Hirano, and Snyder, James M. Jr.; 'Parties within Parties: Parties, Factions, and Coordinated Politics, 1900-1980'; in Gerber, Alan S. and Schickler, Eric; Governing in a Polarized Age: Elections, Parties, and Political Representation in America, pp. 165-168 ISBN 978-1-107-09509-0
  4. ^ Crews, Kenneth D.; 'Woodrow Wilson, Wisconsin, and the Election of 1912'; Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 3: 'Presidents, Vice Presidents and Political Parties: Performance and Prospects' (Summer, 1982), pp. 369-376
  5. ^ a b Leary, William M. (jr.); 'Woodrow Wilson, Irish Americans, and the Election of 1916'; The Journal of American History, Vol. 54, No. 1 (June 1967), pp. 57-72
  6. ^ 'The Barometer of Public Opinion'; The Watertown News (Watertown, Wisconsin), September 27, 1916, p. 4
  7. ^ 'Hughes or Wilson in Wisconsin?'; The La Crosse Tribunal, September 15, 1916, p. 3
  8. ^ 'Drift Continues Unmistakably to Wilson; Republicans Are Still Striving to Stem the Swelling Tide of Defeat'; The Tennessean, October 29, 1916, p. 11
  9. ^ Tribunes Poll'; Los Angeles Times, October 29, 1916, p. 4
  10. ^ 'Wisconsin Is Doubtful: One Summary of State'; Oshkosh Northwestern, October 26, 1916, p. 11
  11. ^ a b Wisconsin Historical Society, Certificate of Board of Canvassers of the State of Wisconsin - Presidential Electors
  12. ^ a b "Election Returns". The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year-Book for 1917. The Chicago Daily News Company. 1916. p. 466.
  13. ^ a b "Election Returns and State Governments". The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1917. New York, New York: The Press Publishing Co. 1917. p. 819.
  14. ^ Menendez, Albert J. The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, p. 48 ISBN 0-7864-2217-3
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