The 1894 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1894. Incumbent Democratic Governor George Wilbur Peck was soundly defeated by Republican nominee

William H. Upham William Henry Upham (May 3, 1841July 2, 1924) was an American businessman, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 18th governor of Wisconsin and served three terms as mayor of Marshfield, Wisconsin. He is the namesake of Upham, Wiscons ...

. This election ushered in a four decade period of Republican dominance in Wisconsin politics as the nation as a whole transitioned to the

Fourth Party System The Fourth Party System is the term used in political science and history for the period in American political history from about 1896 to 1932 that was dominated by the Republican Party, except the 1912 split in which Democrats captured the Whit ...

after the

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy, and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment of 1896 and the pres ...

and the ensuing collapse of the Democratic Party's national coalition.

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates * George Wilbur Peck, Democratic, incumbent Governor *

, Republican, former mayor of Marshfield Other candidates *Capt. John F. Cleghorn, Prohibition * David Frank Powell, Labor, mayor of

La Crosse La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's populat ...

, Union Labor nominee for

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

Results

Results by county

Upham was the first Republican to ever win Brown County and Oneida County and the first since

1869 Events January–March * January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan. * January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded. * January 20 – E ...

to win

Sheboygan County Sheboygan County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is named after the Sheboygan River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 118,034. Its county seat is Sheboygan. The county was created in 1836 and organized in 1846. At th ...

. This would be the last election until

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

in which

Outagamie County Outagamie County is a county in the northeast region of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,705. Its county seat is Appleton. Outagamie County is included in the Appleton, WI Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

voted for a Democrat. By voting for Upham, St. Croix County began a streak of 40 consecutive gubernatorial elections, lasting until

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

, in which it voted for the winning candidate.

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Ashland * Brown * Chippewa *

Dane Dane or Danes may refer to: People Pertaining to Denmark * Dane, somebody from Denmark * Danes, an ethnic group native to Denmark * Danes (Germanic tribe) Other people * Dane (name), a surname and a given name (and a list of people with the nam ...

* Fond du Lac * Forest * Green Lake * Iowa *

Juneau The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...

*Kenosha County, Wisconsin, Kenosha *La Crosse County, Wisconsin, La Crosse *Marinette County, Wisconsin, Marinette *Marquette County, Wisconsin, Marquette *Oconto County, Wisconsin, Oconto *Oneida County, Wisconsin, Oneida *Portage County, Wisconsin, Portage *Shawano County, Wisconsin, Shawano *Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, Sheboygan *Taylor County, Wisconsin, Taylor *Waukesha County, Wisconsin, Waukesha *Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Winnebago *Wood County, Wisconsin, Wood

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * {{1894 United States elections Wisconsin gubernatorial elections, 1894 1894 United States gubernatorial elections, Wisconsin 1894 Wisconsin elections, Gubernatorial