1937 Wisconsin Supreme Court election
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| Elections in Wisconsin |
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The 1937 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on Tuesday, April 6, 1937, to elect a justice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a ten-year term. Incumbent justice Joseph Martin (who had been appointed in 1934) defeated two challengers by a large margin.
Background
[edit]Joseph Martin was appointed by Governor Albert G. Schmedeman, to fill a vacancy on the court on December 31, 1934.[1] No special election was held in the intervening years before the next regularly-scheduled election in 1937.
Candidates
[edit]Ran
[edit]- Joseph Martin (of Green Bay):[2] incumbent justice[3] (appointed in 1934); former chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin[2]
- Glenn P. Turner (of Madison):[2] lawyer, frequent Socialist candidate,[3] former member of the state legislature
- Fred M. Wylie (of Milwaukee):[2] lawyer and state trades practice commissioner[3] and Progressive nominee for Wisconsin Attorney General in 1934
Declined to run
[edit]- Alvin C. Reis: circuit court (Dane County) judge[3]
Campaign
[edit]
Some liberal groups attempted to get Wylie to abandon his candidacy, believing that a campaign by Reiss instead would give Martin a stronger challenge. Wylie refused to withdraw in favor of Reiss, however.[3] Both Wylie and Turner sought to win over Progressive and Farmer–Labor voters.[2]
Result
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General election (April 7, 1937) | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Joseph Martin (incumbent) | 309,081 | 51.17 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Fred M. Wylie | 179,036 | 29.64 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Glenn P. Turner | 115,866 | 19.18 | ||
| Majority | 130,045 | 21.53 | |||
| Total votes | 603,983 | 100 | |||
References
[edit]- ^ "Joseph Martin (1878-1946)". Wisconsin Courts System. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Three-Cornered Judicial Contest". The La Crosse Tribune. Associated Press. April 5, 1937. Retrieved April 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Wylie Declines to Retire from State Supreme Court Race". Stevens Point Journal. ]United Press. February 1, 1937. Retrieved April 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Wisconsin Blue Book 1937". State of Wisconsin. 1937. p. 438. Retrieved April 8, 2025 – via search.library.wisc.edu (University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries).