The 1900 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 6, 1900 as part of the 1900 United States presidential election. State voters chose 12 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
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![]() County Results
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Wisconsin during the Third Party System was a Republican-leaning but competitive state whereby historically anti-Civil War German Catholic counties stood opposed to highly pro-war and firmly Republican Yankee areas.[1] However, following the Populist movement, whose inflationary monetary policies were opposed by almost all urban classes and viewed as dangerously radical by rural German Catholics,[2] Wisconsin’s upper classes, along with the majority of workers who followed them, completely fled from William Jennings Bryan’s agrarian and free silver sympathies.[3] Although in 1892 Grover Cleveland had become the first Democrat to carry the state since the formation of the Republican Party, in 1896 Wisconsin would prove to be Republican William McKinley’s strongest state outside the Northeast, as Bryan’s free silver monetary policy gained little support from dairy farmers who were less affected by drought or debt than wheat growers.[4]
Wisconsin would henceforth become almost a one-party polity dominated by the Republican Party.[5] The Democratic Party became entirely noncompetitive outside the previously anti-Yankee areas adjoining Lake Michigan in the eastern part of the state. In response to Democratic strength weakening severely after 1894, however, challenges within the state Republican Party from Robert M. La Follette would emerge rapidly, with the progressive reformer being elected Governor coincident with the presidential election.[6]
Despite McKinley’s large win in 1896, Wisconsin was considered doubtful at the beginning of the 1900 campaign.[7] However, by the middle of October expert opinion suggested strongly that McKinley would carry the state, and that the state’s Democrats were abandoning nominee William Jennings Bryan for the second consecutive election.[8] This was confirmed by polls just before Election Day,[9] and as it turned out McKinley essentially repeated his three-to-two success of 1896, winning by 24.05% and carrying all but four counties. McKinley's popular vote share of 60.04% broke his own record from the previous election for the largest by any candidate in Wisconsin to that point. Once again, this record would be broken in the next election.
Bryan had previously lost Wisconsin to McKinley four years earlier and would later lose the state again in 1908 to William Howard Taft.
Results
editParty | Pledged to | Elector | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican Party | William McKinley | Willard A. Van Brunt | 265,756[b] | |
Republican Party | William McKinley | Henry E. Roethe | 265,710 | |
Republican Party | William McKinley | Whitman A. Barber | 265,694 | |
Republican Party | William McKinley | William H. J. Kieckhefer | 265,686 | |
Republican Party | William McKinley | John Schuette | 265,664 | |
Republican Party | William McKinley | John Ochsner | 265,651 | |
Republican Party | William McKinley | Charles M. Fenelon | 265,586 | |
Republican Party | William McKinley | John D. Nelsenius | 265,562 | |
Republican Party | William McKinley | Atley Peterson | 265,556 | |
Republican Party | William McKinley | Fred A. Severance | 265,546 | |
Republican Party | William McKinley | George A. Yule | 265,534 | |
Republican Party | William McKinley | Augustus G. Wiessert | 265,506 | |
Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Patrick O'Meara | 159,279[c] | |
Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | John Rosch | 159,136 | |
Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Frederick W. Von Cotzhausen | 159,134 | |
Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | George W. Stevenson | 159,133 | |
Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Benjamin F. Sherman | 159,109 | |
Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | John Berger | 159,090 | |
Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Henry J. Millman | 159,081 | |
Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | William N. Coffland | 159,048 | |
Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | George D. Cline | 159,047 | |
Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Stephen Richmond | 159,043 | |
Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | August C. Voshardt | 159,031 | |
Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Amos Holgate | 159,020 | |
Prohibition Party | John G. Woolley | Samuel D. Hastings | 10,022 | |
Prohibition Party | John G. Woolley | John W. Evans | 10,010 | |
Prohibition Party | John G. Woolley | William A. McKillop | 10,003 | |
Prohibition Party | John G. Woolley | Chris Solum | 9,992 | |
Prohibition Party | John G. Woolley | Benjamin F. Thomas | 9,991 | |
Prohibition Party | John G. Woolley | William Ager | 9,989 | |
Prohibition Party | John G. Woolley | Benjamin F. Parker | 9,989 | |
Prohibition Party | John G. Woolley | Lorenzo D. Fargo | 9,979 | |
Prohibition Party | John G. Woolley | James S. Thompson | 9,979 | |
Prohibition Party | John G. Woolley | Joshua H. Berkey | 9,978 | |
Prohibition Party | John G. Woolley | James P. Corse | 9,974 | |
Prohibition Party | John G. Woolley | George I. Constance | 9,940 | |
Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | August Mohr | 7,051 | |
Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Frederic Heath | 7,048 | |
Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | William Anderson | 7,043 | |
Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Joseph Braun | 7,043 | |
Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Frank J. Ira | 7,041 | |
Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Fred W. Rehfeld | 7,030 | |
Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Jacob Hunger | 7,022 | |
Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | E. P. Hassinger | 7,018 | |
Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Frank Gutheil | 7,014 | |
Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Frederic Althen | 7,010 | |
Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Otto Kundert | 7,005 | |
Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Vincent Bezucha | 6,984 | |
Socialist Labor Party | Joseph F. Maloney | Otto E. Harder | 505 | |
Socialist Labor Party | Joseph F. Maloney | Ernst Pagel | 505 | |
Socialist Labor Party | Joseph F. Maloney | Max Boehme | 504 | |
Socialist Labor Party | Joseph F. Maloney | Hy. Mensing Sr. | 503 | |
Socialist Labor Party | Joseph F. Maloney | Joseph Petersen | 503 | |
Socialist Labor Party | Joseph F. Maloney | Ernst Koch | 502 | |
Socialist Labor Party | Joseph F. Maloney | John Meyer | 502 | |
Socialist Labor Party | Joseph F. Maloney | Charles Slaby | 502 | |
Socialist Labor Party | Joseph F. Maloney | Louis Brand | 500 | |
Socialist Labor Party | Joseph F. Maloney | Albert Roeder | 498 | |
Socialist Labor Party | Joseph F. Maloney | Carl Korn | 497 | |
Socialist Labor Party | Joseph F. Maloney | Louis Schienbein | 496 | |
Votes cast[d] | 442,613 |
Results by county
editCounty[10] | William McKinley Republican |
William Jennings Bryan Democratic |
John G. Woolley Prohibition |
Eugene V. Debs Social Democratic |
Joseph F. Maloney Socialist Labor |
Margin | Total votes cast[e] | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Adams | 1,513 | 77.47% | 409 | 20.94% | 29 | 1.48% | 2 | 0.10% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,104 | 56.53% | 1,953 |
Ashland | 3,032 | 63.93% | 1,559 | 32.87% | 103 | 2.17% | 42 | 0.89% | 7 | 0.15% | 1,473 | 31.06% | 4,743 |
Barron | 2,949 | 72.89% | 944 | 23.33% | 149 | 3.68% | 4 | 0.10% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,005 | 49.56% | 4,046 |
Bayfield | 2,426 | 76.92% | 632 | 20.04% | 80 | 2.54% | 8 | 0.25% | 8 | 0.25% | 1,794 | 56.88% | 3,154 |
Brown | 4,938 | 56.82% | 3,585 | 41.25% | 133 | 1.53% | 28 | 0.32% | 6 | 0.07% | 1,353 | 15.57% | 8,690 |
Buffalo | 2,093 | 62.44% | 1,204 | 35.92% | 55 | 1.64% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 889 | 26.52% | 3,352 |
Burnett | 1,108 | 80.29% | 216 | 15.65% | 48 | 3.48% | 2 | 0.14% | 6 | 0.43% | 892 | 64.64% | 1,380 |
Calumet | 1,629 | 45.14% | 1,905 | 52.78% | 54 | 1.50% | 21 | 0.58% | 0 | 0.00% | -276 | -7.65% | 3,609 |
Chippewa | 4,215 | 61.90% | 2,443 | 35.88% | 140 | 2.06% | 9 | 0.13% | 2 | 0.03% | 1,772 | 26.02% | 6,809 |
Clark | 3,865 | 74.80% | 1,156 | 22.37% | 124 | 2.40% | 15 | 0.29% | 7 | 0.14% | 2,709 | 52.43% | 5,167 |
Columbia | 4,756 | 65.64% | 2,184 | 30.14% | 282 | 3.89% | 22 | 0.30% | 2 | 0.03% | 2,572 | 35.50% | 7,246 |
Crawford | 2,333 | 62.48% | 1,356 | 36.31% | 44 | 1.18% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.03% | 977 | 26.16% | 3,734 |
Dane | 9,396 | 58.41% | 6,129 | 38.10% | 512 | 3.18% | 44 | 0.27% | 4 | 0.02% | 3,267 | 20.31% | 16,085 |
Dodge | 4,785 | 44.37% | 5,813 | 53.90% | 177 | 1.64% | 9 | 0.08% | 1 | 0.01% | -1,028 | -9.53% | 10,785 |
Door | 2,363 | 76.23% | 677 | 21.84% | 57 | 1.84% | 2 | 0.06% | 1 | 0.03% | 1,686 | 54.39% | 3,100 |
Douglas | 4,448 | 63.80% | 2,191 | 31.43% | 178 | 2.55% | 133 | 1.91% | 22 | 0.32% | 2,257 | 32.37% | 6,972 |
Dunn | 3,044 | 70.79% | 1,110 | 25.81% | 144 | 3.35% | 2 | 0.05% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,934 | 44.98% | 4,300 |
Eau Claire | 4,379 | 66.45% | 1,966 | 29.83% | 181 | 2.75% | 61 | 0.93% | 3 | 0.05% | 2,413 | 36.62% | 6,590 |
Florence | 514 | 79.57% | 110 | 17.03% | 17 | 2.63% | 3 | 0.46% | 2 | 0.31% | 404 | 62.54% | 646 |
Fond du Lac | 6,257 | 53.82% | 5,137 | 44.19% | 210 | 1.81% | 20 | 0.17% | 1 | 0.01% | 1,120 | 9.63% | 11,625 |
Forest | 378 | 76.99% | 94 | 19.14% | 18 | 3.67% | 1 | 0.20% | 0 | 0.00% | 284 | 57.84% | 491 |
Grant | 5,610 | 61.18% | 3,250 | 35.45% | 284 | 3.10% | 22 | 0.24% | 3 | 0.03% | 2,360 | 25.74% | 9,169 |
Green | 2,996 | 60.21% | 1,776 | 35.69% | 164 | 3.30% | 40 | 0.80% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,220 | 24.52% | 4,976 |
Green Lake | 2,084 | 56.46% | 1,521 | 41.21% | 81 | 2.19% | 4 | 0.11% | 1 | 0.03% | 563 | 15.25% | 3,691 |
Iowa | 3,270 | 62.49% | 1,746 | 33.37% | 203 | 3.88% | 14 | 0.27% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,524 | 29.12% | 5,233 |
Iron | 1,318 | 76.76% | 357 | 20.79% | 38 | 2.21% | 3 | 0.17% | 1 | 0.06% | 961 | 55.97% | 1,717 |
Jackson | 2,639 | 77.75% | 650 | 19.15% | 103 | 3.03% | 2 | 0.06% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,989 | 58.60% | 3,394 |
Jefferson | 3,725 | 46.20% | 4,131 | 51.23% | 199 | 2.47% | 8 | 0.10% | 0 | 0.00% | -406 | -5.04% | 8,063 |
Juneau | 2,914 | 63.35% | 1,586 | 34.48% | 98 | 2.13% | 2 | 0.04% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,328 | 28.87% | 4,600 |
Kenosha | 3,077 | 58.38% | 2,101 | 39.86% | 63 | 1.20% | 27 | 0.51% | 3 | 0.06% | 976 | 18.52% | 5,271 |
Kewaunee | 1,750 | 49.86% | 1,726 | 49.17% | 31 | 0.88% | 3 | 0.09% | 0 | 0.00% | 24 | 0.68% | 3,510 |
La Crosse | 5,326 | 58.28% | 3,605 | 39.45% | 198 | 2.17% | 9 | 0.10% | 1 | 0.01% | 1,721 | 18.83% | 9,139 |
Lafayette | 2,852 | 55.82% | 2,101 | 41.12% | 153 | 2.99% | 2 | 0.04% | 1 | 0.02% | 751 | 14.70% | 5,109 |
Langlade | 1,595 | 58.23% | 1,085 | 39.61% | 48 | 1.75% | 5 | 0.18% | 6 | 0.22% | 510 | 18.62% | 2,739 |
Lincoln | 2,146 | 56.68% | 1,553 | 41.02% | 70 | 1.85% | 15 | 0.40% | 2 | 0.05% | 593 | 15.66% | 3,786 |
Manitowoc | 4,319 | 49.52% | 4,162 | 47.72% | 65 | 0.75% | 171 | 1.96% | 4 | 0.05% | 157 | 1.80% | 8,721 |
Marathon | 4,716 | 54.33% | 3,767 | 43.40% | 132 | 1.52% | 28 | 0.32% | 37 | 0.43% | 949 | 10.93% | 8,680 |
Marinette | 4,239 | 70.96% | 1,538 | 25.74% | 176 | 2.95% | 17 | 0.28% | 4 | 0.07% | 2,701 | 45.21% | 5,974 |
Marquette | 1,558 | 63.05% | 866 | 35.05% | 47 | 1.90% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 692 | 28.00% | 2,471 |
Milwaukee | 34,809 | 52.56% | 25,558 | 38.59% | 751 | 1.13% | 4,874 | 7.36% | 235 | 0.35% | 9,251 | 13.97% | 66,227 |
Monroe | 3,713 | 60.32% | 2,248 | 36.52% | 194 | 3.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,465 | 23.80% | 6,155 |
Oconto | 2,753 | 69.71% | 1,117 | 28.29% | 74 | 1.87% | 3 | 0.08% | 2 | 0.05% | 1,636 | 41.43% | 3,949 |
Oneida | 1,801 | 70.24% | 711 | 27.73% | 37 | 1.44% | 13 | 0.51% | 2 | 0.08% | 1,090 | 42.51% | 2,564 |
Outagamie | 5,244 | 55.15% | 4,009 | 42.16% | 224 | 2.36% | 28 | 0.29% | 3 | 0.03% | 1,235 | 12.99% | 9,508 |
Ozaukee | 1,281 | 38.76% | 1,965 | 59.46% | 37 | 1.12% | 21 | 0.64% | 1 | 0.03% | -684 | -20.70% | 3,305 |
Pepin | 1,097 | 68.31% | 470 | 29.27% | 39 | 2.43% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 627 | 39.04% | 1,606 |
Pierce | 3,432 | 72.94% | 1,042 | 22.15% | 224 | 4.76% | 6 | 0.13% | 1 | 0.02% | 2,390 | 50.80% | 4,705 |
Polk | 2,735 | 77.48% | 694 | 19.66% | 72 | 2.04% | 16 | 0.45% | 13 | 0.37% | 2,041 | 57.82% | 3,530 |
Portage | 3,283 | 54.57% | 2,635 | 43.80% | 92 | 1.53% | 4 | 0.07% | 2 | 0.03% | 648 | 10.77% | 6,016 |
Price | 1,725 | 74.32% | 525 | 22.62% | 55 | 2.37% | 14 | 0.60% | 2 | 0.09% | 1,200 | 51.70% | 2,321 |
Racine | 5,921 | 58.36% | 3,853 | 37.98% | 233 | 2.30% | 133 | 1.31% | 5 | 0.05% | 2,068 | 20.38% | 10,145 |
Richland | 2,594 | 59.54% | 1,523 | 34.96% | 230 | 5.28% | 10 | 0.23% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,071 | 24.58% | 4,357 |
Rock | 8,247 | 69.95% | 3,096 | 26.26% | 403 | 3.42% | 36 | 0.31% | 8 | 0.07% | 5,151 | 43.69% | 11,790 |
Sauk | 4,326 | 60.84% | 2,493 | 35.06% | 276 | 3.88% | 12 | 0.17% | 3 | 0.04% | 1,833 | 25.78% | 7,110 |
Sawyer | 723 | 68.40% | 307 | 29.04% | 23 | 2.18% | 4 | 0.38% | 0 | 0.00% | 416 | 39.36% | 1,057 |
Shawano | 3,242 | 67.29% | 1,504 | 31.22% | 68 | 1.41% | 3 | 0.06% | 1 | 0.02% | 1,738 | 36.07% | 4,818 |
Sheboygan | 5,930 | 53.79% | 4,044 | 36.68% | 123 | 1.12% | 880 | 7.98% | 48 | 0.44% | 1,886 | 17.11% | 11,025 |
St. Croix | 3,369 | 59.00% | 2,076 | 36.36% | 202 | 3.54% | 52 | 0.91% | 11 | 0.19% | 1,293 | 22.64% | 5,710 |
Taylor | 1,419 | 57.47% | 1,012 | 40.99% | 22 | 0.89% | 15 | 0.61% | 1 | 0.04% | 407 | 16.48% | 2,469 |
Trempealeau | 3,362 | 71.21% | 1,190 | 25.21% | 167 | 3.54% | 1 | 0.02% | 1 | 0.02% | 2,172 | 46.01% | 4,721 |
Vernon | 4,463 | 75.58% | 1,270 | 21.51% | 154 | 2.61% | 16 | 0.27% | 2 | 0.03% | 3,193 | 54.07% | 5,905 |
Vilas | 1,208 | 69.35% | 486 | 27.90% | 37 | 2.12% | 10 | 0.57% | 1 | 0.06% | 722 | 41.45% | 1,742 |
Walworth | 5,104 | 71.42% | 1,741 | 24.36% | 293 | 4.10% | 6 | 0.08% | 2 | 0.03% | 3,363 | 47.06% | 7,146 |
Washburn | 807 | 74.24% | 249 | 22.91% | 29 | 2.67% | 1 | 0.09% | 1 | 0.09% | 558 | 51.33% | 1,087 |
Washington | 2,615 | 50.27% | 2,522 | 48.48% | 56 | 1.08% | 7 | 0.13% | 2 | 0.04% | 93 | 1.79% | 5,202 |
Waukesha | 5,126 | 60.90% | 3,016 | 35.83% | 252 | 2.99% | 19 | 0.23% | 4 | 0.05% | 2,110 | 25.07% | 8,417 |
Waupaca | 5,283 | 76.24% | 1,382 | 19.95% | 258 | 3.72% | 3 | 0.04% | 3 | 0.04% | 3,901 | 56.30% | 6,929 |
Waushara | 2,990 | 82.03% | 525 | 14.40% | 127 | 3.48% | 3 | 0.08% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,465 | 67.63% | 3,645 |
Winnebago | 7,464 | 55.69% | 5,598 | 41.77% | 306 | 2.28% | 27 | 0.20% | 8 | 0.06% | 1,866 | 13.92% | 13,403 |
Wood | 3,134 | 61.12% | 1,877 | 36.60% | 76 | 1.48% | 34 | 0.66% | 7 | 0.14% | 1,257 | 24.51% | 5,128 |
Total | 265,756[f] | 60.04% | 159,279[g] | 35.99% | 10,022 | 2.27% | 7,051 | 1.59% | 505 | 0.11% | 106,480 | 24.05% | 442,613 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
editCounties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
editSee also
editNotes
edit- ^ The 1901 Blue Book gives the totals as McKinley 265,760; Bryan 159,163; Woolley 10,027; Debs 7,048; and Maloney 503. Based on the Board of Canvassers report, these totals are simply incorrect; no elector on the Republican, Democratic, or Prohibition tickets 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 county figures add up to 265,755
- ^ This stated total seems likely to be a mistake; the county figures add up to 159,079. If it is a mistake, then Rosch would be the highest Democratic elector. The Wisconsin Board of Canvassers reports for presidential electors often have mistakes (oddly, however, the reports for congressmen and state officers rarely have mistakes), though the 1900 election is unusual in that the report has mistakes for the highest electors on some tickets.
- ^ Based on totals for highest elector on each ticket
- ^ Based on highest elector on each ticket
- ^ The county figures add up to 265,755
- ^ The county figures add up to 159,079
References
edit- ^ Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 381-382, 414 ISBN 978-0-691-16324-6
- ^ Phillips; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 384
- ^ Sundquist, James; Politics and Policy: The Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Years, p. 526 ISBN 0815719094
- ^ Barry Eichengreen; Michael R. Haines; Matthew S. Jaremski; David Leblang. "Populists at the Polls: Economic Factors in the 1896 Presidential Election" (PDF). National Bureau of Economic Research.
- ^ Burnham, Walter Dean; 'The System of 1896: An Analysis'; in The Evolution of American Electoral Systems, pp. 178-179 ISBN 0313213798
- ^ Cooper, John Milton jr.; ‘Why Wisconsin? The Badger State in the Progressive Era’; The Wisconsin Magazine of History, Vol. 87, No. 3 (Spring, 2004), pp. 14-25
- ^ ‘An Election Forecast’; Courier-Democrat (Langdon, North Dakota), September 6, 1900, p. 4
- ^ ‘Wisconsin Democrats Abandining Bryan’; The Craig News (Craig, Nebraska), October 19, 1900, p. 7
- ^ ‘Four Years More of M‘Kinley’; Evening Times-Republican (Marshalltown, Iowa); November 6, 1900, p. 1
- ^ a b Wisconsin Historical Society, Tabular Statement of votes given for President and Vice President of the United States at the general election held in the several towns, wards, villages, and election districts in the several counties of the State of Wisconsin, on the Tuesday next succeeding the first Monday, being the sixth day of November A.D. 1900