1963 Wisconsin Supreme Court election
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The 1963 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on Tuesday, April 2, 1963 to elect a justice to a full ten-year seat the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Bruce F. Beilfuss won an open race to succeed retiring justice Timothy Brown.
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April 2, 1963
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Background
As a result of the mandatory retirement age for state judges of 70 that was in effect at the time of the election, incumbent justice Timothy Brown was precluded from seeking re-election in 1963.[1] This made the election an open-seat race. The 1961 and 1963 elections were the first instance in the court's history in which multiple consecutive elections were for open seats (without an incumbent running).[2] As of 2026[update], this has only occurred in five further instances.[a]
Candidates
- Advanced to the general election
- Bruce F. Beilfuss, Wisconsin Circuit Court justice
- Harry E. Larsen, Superior-based attorney[3]
- Eliminated in the primary
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan Primary, March 5, 1963[5] | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Bruce F. Beilfuss | 126,765 | 53.36 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Harry E. Larsen | 38,374 | 16.15 | ||
| Nonpartisan | William H. Evans | 31,071 | 13.08 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Davis Donnelly | 25,241 | 10.63 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Christ Alexopoulos | 16,095 | 6.78 | ||
| Total votes | 237,546 | 100 | |||
| General Election, April 2, 1963[6] | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Bruce F. Beilfuss | 411,428 | 64.75 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Harry E. Larsen | 224,022 | 35.25 | ||
| Plurality | 187,406 | 29.49 | |||
| Total votes | 635,450 | 100 | |||