1855 Wisconsin Supreme Court election
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The 1855 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on Tuesday, April 3, 1855, to elect a justice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a full term. Orsamus Cole unseated incumbent justice Samuel Crawford.
April 3, 1855
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Crawford likely lost due to his opinion in Booth v. Ableman (later appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in Ableman v. Booth) that the Fugitive Slave Laws were unconstitutional.[1] He was the first Wisconsin Supreme Court justice to lose re-election. As of 2025[update], this has only occurred in seven subsequent instances (1908, 1917, 1947, 1958, 1967, 2008, 2020). [2]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, April 3, 1855 | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Orsamus Cole | 32,881 | 55.95 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Samuel Crawford (incumbent) | 25,733 | 43.79 | ||
| Nonpartisan | James H. Knowlton (Write-in) | 64 | 0.11 | ||
| Scattering | 90 | 0.15 | |||
| Plurality | 7,148 | 12.16 | |||
| Total votes | 58,768 | 100 | |||