1925 Wisconsin elections
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The 1925 Wisconsin elections were held April 7, 1925. Statewide contests on the ballot included a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and an election for superintendent of public instruction. The election also featured Wisconsin circuit courts and local elections. In addition to the state and local elections held in April, a special election for U.S. Senate was held in Wisconsin on September 29.
Federal offices
[edit]U.S. Senat
[edit]A special United States Senate election was held for Wisconsin's Class 1 United States Senate seat on September 29, 1925, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Republican senator Robert M. La Follette. Robert M. La Follette Jr. was elected to a full six-year term. La Follette defeated Independent (and fellow Republican) former lieutenant governor of Wisconsin Edward Dithmar. Three other candidates also appeared on the general election ballot: John M. Work (Socialist), William G. Bruce (Independent/Democratic), and George Bauman (Socialist Labor).
There were three other candidates in the Republican primary, former state senator from Eau Claire Roy P. Wilcox, Daniel C. Woodward, and former Governor of Wisconsin Francis E. McGovern.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert La Follette Jr. | 237,719 | 67.51% |  13.16
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| Independent Republican | Edward F. Dithmar | 91,318 | 25.93% | N/A | |
| Socialist | John M. Work | 11,130 | 3.16% | N/A | |
| Independent Democratic | William G. Bruce | 10,743 | 3.05% | 0.18
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| Socialist Labor | George Bauman | 795 | 0.23% | 0.12
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| Write-in | 430 | 0.12% | |||
| Total votes | 352,135 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
State offices
[edit]Executive
[edit]Superintendent of public instruction
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A regularly-scheduled election for Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin was held on April 7, 1925. The incumbent superintendent John Callahan, first elected in 1921, was re-elected without opposition.[2][3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, April 7, 1925 | |||||
| Nonpartisan | John Callahan (incumbent) | 342,691 | 99.88 | ||
| Scattering | 403 | 0.12 | |||
| Plurality | 342,691 | 99.88 | |||
| Total votes | 343,094 | 100 | |||
Judicial
[edit]State Supreme Court
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The 1925 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on Tuesday, April 7, 1925, to elect a justice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a ten-year term. The incumbent justice, Burr W. Jones, declined to seek re-election.
A regularly-scheduled Wisconsin Supreme Court election was on the ballot for the general election on April 7, 1925, for a ten-year term on the court. The incumbent judge, Burr W. Jones, first appointed in 1920, declined to seek re-election. Judge of the Wisconsin circuit court for the 9th circuit E. Ray Stevens defeated former district attorney of Calumet County John C. Kleist
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Prior to both of their judicial careers, from 1896 to 1903, Jones and Stevens had been law partners in Madison, running the law firm Jones & Stevens.[4] Stevens' campaign advertised endorsements from both of the state's incumbent U.S. senators (Robert M. La Follette Sr. and Irvine Lenroot); incumbent governor John J. Blaine and former governors Emanuel L. Philipp and Francis E. McGovern. In addition to these Republican state leaders, the endorsement of Martin L. Lueck's (a priminent Democratic politician in the state) was also touted. The campaign's advertisements also claimed that each Republican and Democrat in the 57th Wisconsin Legislature had endorsed his candidacy, and also touted supported from "farm and labor, women and soldier organizations."[5]
Kleist, then a lawyer who resided in Milwaukee, had previously served for two-terms as the elected district attorney of Calumet County in the 1880s.[6] He had since his tenure as district attorney run for various judicial and political offices, losing each campaign.[7] He ran several times for seats on the Wisconsin circuit courts in Milwaukee County, but lost all of them.[6] He first ran in 1910 for a seat on the Wisconsin Circuit Courts but lost to Franz C. Eschweiler. He later was the nominee of the Social-Democratic Party of Wisconsin in the 1911 United States Senate election in Wisconsin. Prior to his 1925 campaign, he had run for the same seat on Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1922, losing to Jones.[8]
During the campaign, The Capital Times described Kleist as being the "candidate of the Ku Klux Klan". In 1924, he had been expelled from the Social–Democratic Party over his alleged ties to the Klan.[7] During his campaign, he was supported by the Anti-Saloon League, which promoted his candidacy in the Wisconsin edition of the The American Issue.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, April 7, 1925 | |||||
| Nonpartisan | E. Ray Stevens | 256,431 | 65.81 | ||
| Nonpartisan | John C. Kleist | 133,164 | 34.17 | ||
| Scattering | 73 | 0.02 | |||
| Plurality | 123,267 | 31.63 | |||
| Total votes | 389,668 | 100 | |||
Circuit courts
[edit]Several elections to the Wisconsin circuit courts were contested in 1925, including elections for judgeships on newly created branches of the court in Milwaukee County, Dane County, and Sauk County[11]
Among the notable results in circuit court races was the election of Charles L. Aarons over Henry Cummings for brnach number 8 in Milwaukee County.[11]
Local offices
[edit]Many local elections were also held coinciding with state elections.[11]
Milwaukee County
[edit]Milwaukee ballot propositions
[edit]Milwaukee voted on local propositions (defeating a proposal for a civic center; defeating a proposal to fund the streetcar services of the The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company at-cost; approving a $1 million bond issue for improvements to public schools; and approving a $500,000 bond issue to construct a garbage disposal plant).
Milwaukee municipal court
[edit]The city also elected three judges to its municipal court.[11]
Manitowoc County
[edit]Manitowoc mayor
[edit]Manitowoc re-elected incumbent mayor Martin Georgenson (Socialist Labor Party) over challenger Frank E. Diebert.
Manitowoc city council
[edit]Socialists also increased their representation on its city council by two seats.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1927" (PDF). p. 579. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "Callahan Files Papers; Will Be Unopposed". Newspapers.com. March 16, 1925. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ a b "Statement of Board of State Canvassers Relating to Votes Cast for Justice of the Supreme Court and State Superintendent of Public Instruction". The Capital Times. May 6, 1925. p. 13. Retrieved February 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Berryman, John R., ed. (1898). History of the Bench and Bar of Wisconsin. Vol. 2. Chicago: H. C. Cooper, Jr. pp. 362-365. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ "advertisement". La Crosse Tribune and Leader-Press. April 2, 1925. p. 12. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "J.C. Kleist, Loyal Santa Cruzan, Dies". Santa Cruz Evening News. July 31, 1931. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "John C. Kleist Dies In West". The La Crosse Tribune at Newspapers.com. The Associated Press. July 31, 1931. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Record Ballot Forecasted In City Election". Wisconsin State Journal. April 2, 1922. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Anti-Saloon Publication Aided Kleist". The Capital Times. April 9, 1925. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Judge Stevens Received Majority of 123,267 Votes". Iron County Miner. May 8, 1925. p. 1. Retrieved December 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Setevens Elected Over Kleist to Supreme Court". Wasau Daily Record–Herald. April 8, 1925. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.