The 1909 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held in the 49th Wisconsin Legislature between January 27, 1909, and March 4, 1909. Incumbent Republican U.S. senator Isaac Stephenson was ultimately re-elected on the 23rd ballot after more than a month of voting and negotiation.
In the 1909 term, Republicans held overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature, so had more than enough votes to elect a Republican United States senator. However, this was the first U.S. Senate election in Wisconsin after the passage of the state law which established primary elections for determining party nominees. This led to considerable turmoil in the legislative joint session, as the winner of the Republican primary (Stephenson) lacked majority support in the Republican caucus and received only 31% of the primary vote. The issue was exacerbated by allegations that Stephenson had committed campaign finance violations during the primary.
Both chambers initially voted on January 26 in sufficient numbers to re-elect Stephenson, but at the joint session on January 27, the presiding officer, Lieutenant Governor John Strange, ignored a motion to read the results and pronounce Stephenson elected, and instead moved to a new vote for U.S. senator. Stephenson fell short in that vote, and the stalemate dragged out for more than a month as various factions attempted to coalesce around an alternative. March 4, 1909—the scheduled start of the next U.S. Senate term—was the effective deadline for the Legislature to act, as Stephenson already planned to assert his right to be seated as U.S. senator based on the initial January 26 votes. With the Legislature unable to reach a majority for any alternative candidate, Stephenson was ultimately re-elected by a bare majority on March 4, with more than 40 members casting protest votes for random colleagues and neighbors.
Democratic primary
On the ballot
- Neal Brown, prominent lawyer and former state legislator from Wausau, Wisconsin.
- Melvin A. Hoyt, editor of the Milwaukee Daily News.
Primary result
Republican primary
On the ballot
- Samuel A. Cook, former U.S. representative and prominent state leader in the Grand Army of the Republic from Neenah, Wisconsin.
- William H. Hatten, lumber millionaire and former state senator from Outagamie County, Wisconsin.
- Francis E. McGovern, incumbent district attorney of Milwaukee County.
- Isaac Stephenson, incumbent U.S. senator, former U.S. representative of Wisconsin's 9th congressional district, from Marinette, Wisconsin.
Primary result
Other candidates with significant caucus support
- Henry Allen Cooper, incumbent U.S. representative of Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, from Racine County.
- John J. Esch, incumbent U.S. representative of Wisconsin's 7th congressional district, from La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Socialist primary
On the ballot
- Jacob Rummel, former state senator from Milwaukee.
Primary result
Prohibition primary
On the ballot
- Isaac Stephenson, incumbent U.S. senator, former U.S. representative of Wisconsin's 9th congressional district, from Marinette, Wisconsin.
Primary result
Election
Events of January 27, 1909
Pursuant to federal law, each chamber of the legislature voted separately on their choice for U.S. senator on January 26, prior to meeting in joint session on January 27 to conduct the election. The law stipulated that if a candidate received a majority of those initial votes—as Stephenson did in this case—he "shall be declared duly elected senator." The record of those votes was not initially admitted in the joint session, but a motion by state senator George Hudnall read those results into the record and called for the president of the joint session to declare that Stephenson had been elected. The president of the joint session, Lieutenant Governor John Strange, ignored Hudnall's motion and instead proceeded to a new vote in the joint session. Stephenson failed to reach a majority in the formal vote of the joint session.
Vote on March 4, 1909
The legislature re-convened in joint session on March 4.
Notes
References
