1930 Wisconsin Supreme Court special election
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April 1, 1930
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 Fowler: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Reynolds: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Cannon: 30–40% 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Wisconsin |
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The 1930 Wisconsin Supreme Court special election was a special election held on Tuesday, April 1, 1930, to elect a justice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Incumbent justice Chester A. Fowler (appointed to fill a vacancy after the death on the bench of Aad J. Vinje) won election to the remainder of Vinje's term, defeating two challengers.
Background
[edit]Incumbent justice Chester A. Fowler had been appointed by Governor Walter J. Kohler Sr. in April 1929 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Aad J. Vinje. Being 66 years of age when appointed, Fowler was the court's oldest judge.[1]
Candidates
[edit]- Chester A. Fowler, incumbent justice (appointed in 1929), unsuccessful candidate in the 1916 Supreme Court election, former circuit court judge
- Raymond J. Cannon, attorney and former baseball player
- John W. Reynolds Sr., Wisconsin attorney general
Ideologic leanings and political affiliations of candidates
[edit]Fowler was a conservative member of the Republican Party, and had been appointed by a governor who was similarly a conservative Republican. Reynolds was an ideological liberal, being a progressive member of the Republican Party aligned with the school of thought that had been championed in Wisconsin by Robert M. La Follette.[2]
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General election (April 1, 1930) | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Chester A. Fowler (incumbent) | 198,572 | 41.39 | ||
| Nonpartisan | John W. Reynolds Sr. | 184,317 | 38.42 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Raymond J. Cannon | 96,908 | 20.20 | ||
| Scattering | 433 | 0.09 | |||
| Plurality | 14,255 | 2.97 | |||
| Total votes | 480,230 | 100 | |||
References
[edit]- ↑ "Under The Capitol Dome". The Boscobel Dial. April 17, 1929. Retrieved April 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Two State Issues In Election To Be Held Tomorrow; Wisconsin Will Decide on a Supreme Court Justice and Will Either Reject or Approve a Legislative Proposal to Issue Auto Licenses Through County Clerks". The Merrill Star-Advocate. April 7, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved April 13, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Kelly, Alice, ed. (1931). "Parties and elections". The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1931 (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 580. Retrieved December 27, 2019.