The 1853 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1853. Democratic candidate William A. Barstow won the election with 55% of the vote, winning his first term as Governor of Wisconsin. Barstow defeated Free Soil Party candidate Edward D. Holton and Whig candidate Henry S. Baird. This would be the last Wisconsin gubernatorial election in which there was a Whig candidate on the ballot.
This was the last election until 1932 in which Adams County and Bad Ax (Vernon) County voted for a Democrat. Additionally, Columbia County would not vote Democratic again until 1924, nor would Green County, Portage County, and Sauk County until 1890.
Nominations
Democratic party
William A. Barstow was a resident of Waukesha County, and had previously served as Wisconsin's Secretary of State. Before Wisconsin became a state, he was instrumental in creating Waukesha County from what had been the western half of Milwaukee County.
The Wisconsin Democratic Party Convention was held in Janesville in September 1853. Barstow did not intend to seek the nomination for Governor, and, in fact, was supporting A. Hyatt Smith for the nomination. Nevertheless, Barstow's popularity resulted in him receiving five votes on the first ballot, and after Smith deadlocked with Jairus C. Fairchild for seven ballots, Smith withdrew his name and instead endorsed Barstow. Barstow received the nomination on the 13th ballot.
Other candidates
- Jairus C. Fairchild, of Madison, had been the first State Treasurer of Wisconsin.
- A. Hyatt Smith was the Mayor of Janesville, and had previously served as United States Attorney for Wisconsin and Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory.
- Timothy Burns, of La Crosse, was the incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. He died just days after the Democratic convention chose Barstow as the nominee.
Whig party
Henry S. Baird was a resident of Green Bay, and was said to be the first practicing lawyer in the Wisconsin Territory. He had served as Attorney General of the Wisconsin Territory, appointed by Territorial Governor Henry Dodge, and served on the Territorial Council. He was a delegate to Wisconsin's first Constitutional Convention.
Independent
Edward D. Holton was a resident of Milwaukee. He was a businessman and banker, interested in building a railroad to stretch from Milwaukee to the Mississippi River. He was an avowed abolitionist, first as a member of the Liberty Party, and then its successor the Free Soil Party. He was also a supporter of temperance legislation in Wisconsin. The state ticket he headed in 1853 was referred to as the "People's Ticket" and stood in general opposition to the Democratic ticket.
Results
Results by county
Counties that flipped from Whig to Democratic
- Dane
- Fond du Lac
- Milwaukee
- Racine
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Whig
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Independent
Counties that flipped from Whig to Independent
- Grant
- Kenosha
- Rock
- Walworth
- Waukesha
- Waushara
- Winnebago