The Reform Party, also called Liberal Reform Party or People's Reform Party, was a short-lived

coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

of Democrats,

reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...

and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Republicans, anti-

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

forces, and

Grangers The Grange, officially named The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, is a social organization in the United States that encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and ...

formed in 1873 in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, which secured the election for two years of

William Robert Taylor William Robert Taylor (July 10, 1820March 17, 1909) was an American politician and the 12th Governor of Wisconsin from 1874 to 1876. Early life Taylor was born in Woodbury, Connecticut. He was orphaned at age 6 when his father's ship was lost ...

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 ...

, as well as electing a number of state legislators.

1870 People's Independent candidates

Funding for the party came primarily from Alexander Mitchell, a Democratic banker and railroad magnate who had already been experimenting with a

third-party Third party may refer to: Business * Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller * Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party * Third-party insurance, such as a Veh ...

movement to challenge the tight control of

Bourbon Democrats Bourbon Democrat was a term used in the United States in the later 19th century (1872–1904) to refer to members of the Democratic Party who were ideologically aligned with fiscal conservatism or classical liberalism, especially those who suppo ...

over the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, and

Elisha W. Keyes Elisha William Keyes ( ; January 23, 1828 – November 29, 1910) was an American lawyer, politician, postmaster, and local judge. He was the 6th and 22nd Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, and represented Dane County in the Wisconsin State Assembl ...

' "Madison Regency" over the Republican Party there, as far back as 1870, in the form of a "People's Independent Ticket" of Democrats and Republicans, which ran nine legislative candidates statewide, as well as various local slates. Mitchell, also the Democratic nominee, was elected as a Democrat and caucused as a Democrat in Congress; of the three successful state legislative candidates, Senator John C. Hall and Assemblyman

Anson Rood Anson Rood (September 23, 1827January 17, 1898) was an American businessman, farmer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served three non-consecutive terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly between 1857 and 1872. Biography Born in Je ...

joined the Republican caucus, while Harlow Orton remained independent.

1873 campaign

In 1873, disaffected Republicans and formerly unaligned Grangers looking for an alternative met at the September convention (being run by leading Democrats) of the as-yet-nameless reform group nominated Democrat and Granger William Robert Taylor to the top of the ticket, with one more Liberal Republican, a couple of respected figures with no political affiliation, and the remainder Democrats. With the Democratic name having acquired a bad reputation, the party adopted the name "Reform Party". It carried all the statewide office, took a majority in the Assembly (counting together those elected as Reformers, as Liberal Republicans, and as Democrats), and came within one seat of a majority in the Senate.

1874–75

Mitchell, a conservative at heart, soon began clashing with Taylor (an ineffectual and prickly leader at best); and the Democrats who had been out of office for so long were unhappy when they were not allowed the offices they felt entitled to under the

spoils system In politics and government, a spoils system (also known as a patronage system) is a practice in which a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its supporters, friends (cronyism), and relatives (nepotism) as a reward ...

. Bourbon Democrats, in particular, felt that the Grangers and other reform forces were denying them their share of the fruits of victory. In 1874, the Republicans took 64 seats (out of 100) in the Assembly and retained control of the Senate. By 1875, with Taylor having lost his bid for re-election, and a disaffected Mitchell now firmly allied with the Bourbons, the coalition had begun to dissolve; Greenbackers, who advocated some of the same policies, began to run their own candidates in 1876. The last edition of the ''

Wisconsin Blue Book The ''Wisconsin Blue Book'' is a biennial publication of the Wisconsin's Legislative Reference Bureau. The ''Blue Book'' is an almanac containing information on the government, economics, demographics, geography and history of the state of Wisc ...

'' listing a legislator as "Reform" was that of 1878, in which

Francis Steffen Francis Steffen (November 5, 1836 – December 15, 1879) was an American farmer from Hortonville, Wisconsin who spent two terms as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Outagamie County, being elected first as a "Reform Democrat" and ...

is described as a "Reform Democrat".Bashford, R. M., ed. ''The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin: Comprising the Constitutions of the United States and of the State of Wisconsin, Jefferson's Manual, Forms and Laws for the Regulation of Business; also, lists and tables for reference, etc.'' Seventeenth Annual Edition. Madison: David Atwood, Printer and Stereotyper, 1878; p. 478
/ref>

References

{{reflist Defunct political parties in the United States Political parties in Wisconsin Political parties established in 1873 Political parties disestablished in 1877 Political history of Wisconsin 1873 establishments in Wisconsin 1877 disestablishments in Wisconsin