The 1863 Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice election was held on Tuesday, April 3, 1863, to elect the chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Incumbent chief justice Luther S. Dixon was re-elected.
Background
Incumbent chief justice Luther S. Dixon had been appointed to the chief justice seat in 1860, and was elected to a partial term that April after winning a narrow victory as an independent candidate in a special election.
The 1863 election was a regularly-scheduled election, and took place during the American Civil War. While serving on the court, Dixon (the incumbent) had involved in the state's contributions to the Union effort. Dixon was active in the Wisconsin militia as captain of the Madison militia company, the "Hickory Guards". At the outbreak of the American Civil War, he had attempted to enter the Union Army, but had been dissuaded by Governor Randall who argued that he could do more for the country by staying in his position as chief justice than he could on a battlefield. During the war, Dixon was involved in recruiting and training troops to prepare them for service in the army. At the same time, Dixon had been regarded as a prospective potential candidate for President Abraham Lincoln to nominate for appointment to the United States Supreme Court (though he was ultimately not nominated).
Campaign
The election was tightly contested. Dixon was nominated by the Republican Party. The Democratic Party nominated Montgomery Morrison Cothren, who ran on an anti-war platform.
Results
Dixon won election, leading Cothren by a margin of more than 2.3%. Cothren had won a majority of votes cast in-person. However, Dixon prevailed due to his lead in the absentee votes cast through mail by the state's Union Army soldiers in the field.
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