The 1856 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 4, 1856, as part of the 1856 United States presidential election. State voters chose five electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
John C. Frémont of the newly formed Republican Party won Wisconsin with 55% of the popular vote, winning the state's five electoral votes.
Due to a snowstorm, Wisconsin's five electors could not convene on the constitutionally-mandated date to cast their electoral votes. They instead met on a later date and cast five votes for Frémont for president and five votes for William L. Dayton for vice president. During the joint session of Congress to count the electoral votes, objections were raised that Wisconsin's votes were invalid because they had not been cast on the correct day. After a two-day debate in which the President of the Senate attempted to unilaterally count Wisconsin's votes in the face of objections from the joint session, the matter was dropped because it was immaterial to the overall outcome of the election.
Fremont's victory was the first of nine consecutive Republican victories in the state, as Wisconsin would not vote for a Democratic candidate again until Grover Cleveland in 1892.
Results + General Election ResultsWisconsin Historical Society, Tabular Statement of the Votes polled for Electors of President and Vice President of the United States at a General Election held in the Several Counties in the State of Wisconsin on the Tuesday Succeeding the first Monday being the Fourth day of November 1856Party Pledged to Elector Votes Republican Party John C. Frémont James H. Knowlton66,092 Republican Party John C. Frémont Edward D. Holton66,090 Republican Party John C. Frémont Walter D. McIndoe66,070 Republican Party John C. Frémont Billee Williams65,976 Republican Party John C. Frémont Gregor Menzel65,762 Democratic Party James Buchanan Otis Preston52,867 Democratic Party James Buchanan John Mitchell52,854 Democratic Party James Buchanan Henry M. Billings52,843 Democratic Party James Buchanan R. Schleisinger Weil52,736 Democratic Party James Buchanan John Fitzgerald52,635 American Party Millard Fillmore Richard Dart580 American Party Millard Fillmore Harrison Ludington579 American Party Millard Fillmore David A. Fairchild577 American Party Millard Fillmore Zeni Rounds576 American Party Millard Fillmore Robert Chandler573 Write-in Scattering469Votes cast 120,008
Results by county County John C. FrémontRepublican James BuchananDemocratic Millard FillmoreAmerican ScatteringWrite-in Margin Total votescast # % # % # % # % # %Adams1,61773.30%58226.38%70.32%00.00%1,03546.92%2,206Bad Ax59666.52%23125.78%212.34%485.36%36540.74%896Brown49933.20%1,00466.80%00.00%00.00%-505-33.60%1,503Buffalo6829.31%16370.26%00.00%10.43%-95-40.95%232Calumet48653.52%41045.15%10.11%111.21%768.37%908Clark7366.36%3733.64%00.00%00.00%3632.73%110Columbia2,95270.27%1,24229.56%70.17%00.00%1,71040.70%4,201Crawfor51952.42%42943.33%10.10%414.14%909.09%990Dane3,99953.69%3,44346.23%60.08%00.00%5567.47%7,448Dodge3,45555.15%2,79544.61%150.24%00.00%66010.53%6,265Dunn39062.10%11918.95%00.00%11918.95%27143.15%628Fond du Lac3,29254.73%2,56442.63%250.42%1342.23%72812.10%6,015Grant2,80963.64%1,41932.15%1864.21%00.00%1,39031.49%4,414Green2,00464.17%1,08734.81%321.02%00.00%91729.36%3,123Iowa1,49749.93%1,47449.17%270.90%00.00%230.77%2,998Jackson30666.38%13729.72%61.30%122.60%16936.66%461Jefferson3,28948.87%3,43551.04%60.09%00.00%-146-2.17%6,730Kenosha1,50864.47%83135.53%00.00%00.00%67728.94%2,339Kewaunee8928.71%20666.45%51.61%103.23%-117-37.74%310La Crosse98763.55%54134.84%251.61%00.00%44628.72%1,553Lafayette1,41044.75%1,72254.65%190.60%00.00%-312-9.90%3,151Manitowoc1,17738.20%1,90461.80%00.00%00.00%-727-23.60%3,081Marathon26956.51%20743.49%00.00%00.00%6213.03%476Marquette2,51770.54%1,03228.92%190.53%00.00%1,48541.62%3,568Milwaukee2,79827.95%7,18771.80%250.25%00.00%-4,389-43.85%10,010Monroe72273.52%25425.87%60.61%00.00%46847.66%982Outagamie59742.98%75354.21%00.00%392.81%-156-11.23%1,389Ozaukee35915.01%2,03384.99%00.00%00.00%-1,674-69.98%2,392Pierce41477.97%10619.96%112.07%00.00%30858.00%531Polk9563.76%5436.24%00.00%00.00%4127.52%149Portage68064.52%36134.25%131.23%00.00%31930.27%1,054Racine2,29957.56%1,68942.29%60.15%00.00%61015.27%3,994Richland88264.24%45433.07%372.69%00.00%42831.17%1,373Rock4,70770.42%1,96429.38%100.15%30.04%2,74341.04%6,684Sauk2,01566.83%99332.94%40.13%30.10%1,02233.90%3,015Shawano6059.41%3433.66%00.00%76.93%2625.74%101Sheboygan1,89149.40%1,92250.21%150.39%00.00%-31-0.81%3,828St. Croix41762.33%25237.67%00.00%00.00%16524.66%669Trempealeau19080.85%4519.15%00.00%00.00%14561.70%235Walworth3,51872.45%1,29526.67%40.08%390.80%2,22345.78%4,856Washington81123.41%2,64676.36%70.20%10.03%-1,835-52.96%3,465Waukesha2,87558.63%2,02041.19%80.16%10.02%85517.43%4,904Waupaca63390.56%669.44%00.00%00.00%56781.12%699Waushara1,29285.39%21514.21%60.40%00.00%1,07771.18%1,513Winnebago2,76965.87%1,41533.66%200.48%00.00%1,35432.21%4,204Wood26073.24%9526.76%00.00%00.00%16546.48%355Total66,09255.07%52,86744.05%5800.48%4690.39%13,22511.02%120,008
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Bad Ax Calumet Columbia Crawford Dane Dodge Fond du Lac Grant Green Iowa La Crosse Marathon Marquette Portage Racine Rock Sauk St. Croix Waukesha Waushara Winnebago
Counties that flipped from Whig to Republican Richland Waupaca
Counties that flipped from Free Soil to Republican Kenosha Walworth
See also United States presidential elections in Wisconsin
Notes
References