1888 Wisconsin gubernatorial election explained

The 1888 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1888.

Republican nominee William D. Hoard defeated Democratic nominee James Morgan and two other candidates with 49.53% of the vote.

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates

• James Morgan, Democratic, businessman^[1]
• William D. Hoard, Republican, dairy farmer and newspaper editor^[2]

Other candidates

• E. G. Durant, Prohibition
• David Frank Powell, Union Labor, former mayor of La Crosse^{[3] [4]}

Results by county

County	William D. Hoard Republican		James Morgan Democratic		E. G. Durant Prohibition		D. Frank Powell Union Labor		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%		%
	Adams		1,100		70.92%		430		27.72%		15		0.97%		6		0.39%		670		43.20%		1,551
	Ashland		2,856		55.87%		2,201		43.06%		53		1.04%		1		0.02%		655		12.81%		5,112
	Barron		1,794		60.28%		881		29.60%		295		9.91%		6		0.20%		913		30.68%		2,976
	Bayfield		1,204		62.13%		707		36.48%		27		1.39%		0		0.00%		497		25.64%		1,938
	Brown		2,663		41.42%		3,540		55.05%		115		1.79%		112		1.74%		-877		-13.64%		6,430
	Buffalo		1,767		55.65%		1,316		41.45%		86		2.71%		6		0.19%		451		14.20%		3,175
	Burnett		491		62.31%		69		8.76%		228		28.93%		0		0.00%		263		33.38%		788
	Calumet		954		30.53%		1,982		63.42%		44		1.41%		145		4.64%		-1,028		32.90%		3,125
	Chippewa		2,678		49.02%		2,503		45.82%		282		5.16%		0		0.00%		175		3.20%		5,463
	Clark		2,263		60.75%		1,286		34.52%		144		3.87%		32		0.86%		977		26.23%		3,725
	Columbia		3,506		53.43%		2,652		40.41%		389		5.93%		14		0.21%		854		13.01%		6,562
	Crawford		1,806		52.18%		1,562		45.13%		59		1.70%		34		0.98%		244		7.05%		3,461
	Dane		6,844		47.73%		6,410		44.70%		1,079		7.52%		7		0.05%		434		3.03%		14,340
	Dodge		3,144		33.16%		6,078		64.11%		218		2.30%		39		0.41%		-2,934		-30.95%		9,480
	Door		1,688		60.68%		1,039		37.35%		52		1.87%		2		0.07%		649		23.33%		2,782
	Douglas		1,181		59.80%		5576		39.29%		15		0.76%		3		0.15%		405		20.51%		1,975
	Dunn		2,526		60.06%		1,302		30.96%		285		6.78%		92		2.19%		1,224		29.10%		4,206
	Eau Claire		3,215		51.28%		2,396		38.22%		492		7.85%		164		2.62%		819		13.06%		6,269
	Florence		313		55.60%		236		41.92%		3		0.53%		11		1.95%		77		13.68%		563
	Fond du Lac		4,496		45.77%		4,934		50.23%		297		3.02%		95		0.97%		-438		-4.46%		9,822
	Forest		233		50.65%		218		47.39%		9		1.96%		0		0.00%		15		3.26%		460
	Grant		4,264		51.99%		3,407		41.54%		434		5.29%		96		1.17%		857		10.45%		8,201
	Green		2,625		48.51%		2,122		39.22%		450		8.32%		214		3.95%		503		9.30%		5,411
	Green Lake		1,699		52.34%		1,417		43.65%		126		3.88%		4		0.12%		282		8.69%		3,246
	Iowa		2,491		47.81%		2,256		43.30%		463		8.89%		0		0.00%		235		4.51%		5,210
	Jackson		2,093		62.66%		1,000		29.94%		247		7.40%		0		0.00%		1,093		32.72%		3,340
	Jefferson		3,025		40.50%		4,238		56.73%		191		2.56%		15		0.20%		-1,213		-16.24%		7,470
	Juneau		2,077		52.88%		1,658		42.21%		181		4.61%		11		0.28%		419		10.67%		3,928
	Kenosha		1,691		48.68%		1,674		48.19%		108		3.11%		1		0.03%		17		0.49%		3,474
	Kewaunee		878		30.02%		2,046		69.95%		1		0.03%		0		0.00%		-1,168		-39.93%		2,925
	La Crosse		3,935		46.03%		3,699		43.27%		398		4.66%		516		6.04%		236		2.76%		8,549
	Lafayette		2,563		50.13%		2,284		44.67%		263		5.14%		1		0.02%		279		5.46%		5,113
	Langlade		777		37.68%		1,192		57.81%		93		4.51%		0		0.00%		-415		-20.13%		2,062
	Lincoln		1,114		46.75%		1,050		44.06%		106		4.45%		113		4.74%		64		2.69%		2,383
	Manitowoc		2,681		37.98%		4,237		60.02%		16		0.23%		125		1.77%		-1,556		-22.04%		7,059
	Marathon		2,114		36.22%		3,356		57.50%		42		0.72%		317		5.43%		-1,242		-21.28%		5,837
	Marinette		1,777		45.67%		1,756		45.13%		224		5.76%		134		3.44%		21		0.54%		3,891
	Marquette		1,131		52.31%		999		46.21%		27		1.25%		4		0.19%		132		6.11%		2,162
	Milwaukee		20,887		47.94%		17,703		40.63%		333		0.76%		4,647		10.67%		3,184		7.31%		43,570
	Monroe		2,710		52.88%		2,135		41.66%		251		4.90%		29		0.57%		575		11.22%		5,125
	Oconto		1,313		52.35%		1,154		46.01%		35		1.40%		6		0.24%		159		6.34%		2,508
	Oneida		767		46.63%		871		52.95%		6		0.36%		1		0.06%		-104		-6.32%		1,645
	Outagamie		2,779		39.32%		4,005		56.66%		185		2.62%		99		1.40%		-1,226		-17.35%		7,068
	Ozaukee		755		26.30%		2,025		70.53%		4		0.14%		86		3.00%		-1,270		-44.24%		2,871
	Pepin		926		59.28%		461		29.51%		175		11.20%		0		0.00%		465		29.77%		1,562
	Pierce		2,483		58.76%		1,158		27.40%		537		12.71%		47		1.11%		1,325		31.35%		4,226
	Polk		1,728		64.77%		606		22.71%		334		12.52%		0		0.00%		1,122		42.05%		2,668
	Portage		2,575		50.65%		2,322		45.67%		165		3.25%		22		0.43%		253		4.98%		5,084
	Price		912		55.81%		620		37.94%		101		6.18%		0		0.00%		292		17.87%		1,634
	Racine		3,923		49.09%		3,293		41.20%		462		5.78%		314		3.93%		630		7.88%		7,992
	Richland		2,457		54.47%		1,734		38.44%		294		6.52%		25		0.55%		723		16.03%		4,511
	Rock		6,193		60.61%		3,509		34.34%		508		4.97%		7		0.07%		2,684		26.27%		10,217
	Sauk		3,400		51.31%		2,657		40.10%		535		8.07%		34		0.51%		743		11.21%		6,626
	Sawyer		542		51.52%		508		48.29%		1		0.10%		0		0.00%		34		3.23%		1,052
	Shawano		1,784		51.46%		1,635		47.16%		25		0.72%		23		0.66%		149		4.30%		3,467
	Sheboygan		3,683		42.98%		4,386		51.18%		65		0.76%		436		5.09%		-703		-8.20%		8,570
	St. Croix		2,753		50.33%		2,135		39.03%		530		9.69%		52		0.95%		618		11.30%		5,470
	Taylor		788		51.60%		723		47.35%		15		0.98%		1		0.07%		65		4.26%		1,527
	Trempealeau		2,276		55.88%		1,567		38.47%		229		5.62%		1		0.02%		709		17.41%		4,073
	Vernon		3,321		64.20%		1,540		29.77%		263		5.08%		49		0.95%		1,781		34.43%		5,173
	Walworth		4,447		62.10%		2,036		28.43%		584		8.16%		94		1.31%		2,411		33.67%		7,161
	Washburn		514		52.18%		363		36.85%		107		10.86%		1		0.10%		151		15.33%		985
	Washington		1,853		38.96%		2,892		60.81%		11		0.23%		0		0.00%		-1,039		-21.85%		4,756
	Waukesha		3,848		50.51%		3,445		45.22%		302		3.96%		24		0.32%		403		5.29%		7,619
	Waupaca		3,383		62.92%		1,778		33.07%		163		3.03%		53		0.99%		1,605		29.85%		5,377
	Waushara		2,258		72.70%		658		21.18%		157		5.05%		33		1.06%		1,600		51.51%		3,106
	Winnebago		4,885		46.05%		4,609		43.45%		401		3.78%		713		6.72%		276		2.60%		10,608
	Wood		1,896		47.41%		1,986		49.66%		38		0.95%		79		1.98%		-90		-2.25%		3,999
Total	175,696	49.53%	155,423	43.82%	14,373	4.05%	9,196	2.59%	20,273	5.72%	354,714

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Ashland
• Bayfield
• Chippewa
• Forest
• La Crosse
• Sawyer

Counties that flipped from Union Labor to Republican

• Milwaukee

Bibliography

• Book: Glashan, Roy R. . American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978 . Meckler Books . 1979 . 0-930466-17-9 .
• Book: Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997 . Washington, D.C. . Congressional Quarterly Inc. . 1998 . 1-56802-396-0 . .
• Book: Timme . Ernst G. . 1889 . The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin . The Milwaukee Litho. & Engr. Co. . .

Notes and References

1. News: . For Governor of Wisconsin . Iowa County democrat . Mineral Point, Wis. . September 28, 1888 . 2 . 9 July 2021.
2. Web site: Hoard, William Dempster 1836–1918 . Dictionary of Wisconsin History . . https://web.archive.org/web/20110611114329/http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=2246&keyword=hoard . 2011-06-11 . dead . 2020-01-19.
3. Benjamin F. Bryant (ed.). Memoirs of La Crosse County from Earliest Historical Times Down to the Present. Madison, Wis.: Western Historical Association, 1907, pp. 200-201.
4. News: . Dr. D. F. Powell . The Daily times . Richmond, Va. . August 4, 1888 . 4 . 9 July 2021.