1963 Wisconsin Supreme Court election
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April 2, 1963
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| Elections in Wisconsin |
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The 1963 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on Tuesday, April 2, 1963 to elect a justice to a full ten-year seat the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Bruce F. Beilfuss won an open race to succeed retiring justice Timothy Brown.
Background
[edit]As a result of the mandatory retirement age for state judges of 70 that was in effect at the time of the election, incumbent justice Timothy Brown was precluded from seeking re-election in 1963.[1] This made the election an open-seat race. The 1961 and 1963 elections were the first instance in the court's history in which multiple consecutive elections were for open seats (without an incumbent running).[2] As of 2026[update], this has only occurred in five further instances.[a]
Candidates
[edit]- Advanced to the general election
- Bruce F. Beilfuss, Wisconsin Circuit Court justice
- Harry E. Larsen, Superior-based attorney[3]
- Eliminated in the primary
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan Primary, March 5, 1963[5] | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Bruce F. Beilfuss | 126,765 | 53.36 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Harry E. Larsen | 38,374 | 16.15 | ||
| Nonpartisan | William H. Evans | 31,071 | 13.08 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Davis Donnelly | 25,241 | 10.63 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Christ Alexopoulos | 16,095 | 6.78 | ||
| Total votes | 237,546 | 100 | |||
| General Election, April 2, 1963[6] | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Bruce F. Beilfuss | 411,428 | 64.75 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Harry E. Larsen | 224,022 | 35.25 | ||
| Plurality | 187,406 | 29.49 | |||
| Total votes | 635,450 | 100 | |||
Notes
[edit]- ↑ The five subsequent instances of this have been:[2]
- ↑ Alexopolous had unsuccessfully run For Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1959 and 1961; had unsuccessfully run for Circuit Court in 1960 and 1962; and had run other civil court campaigns as far back as 1954. He would later unsuccessfully run again for Supreme Court in 1974, 1975, and 1976[4]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Timothy Brown". Racine Journal Times. May 24, 1962. p. 10. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 Ostermeier, Dr Eric (January 13, 2025). "Wisconsin Supreme Court 2025 Election by the Numbers". Smart Politics (University of Minnesota). Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ↑ "40-Hour Week for State Judges Urged by Larsen". Wisconsin State Journal. United Press International. February 22, 1964. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "For State Supreme Court; Alexopoulos Tries Again". Herald-Times-Reporter. The Associated Press. February 5, 1976. p. 8. Retrieved April 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Veteran Jurist Favored to Win". Oshkosh Northwestern. March 6, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Theobald, H. Rupert, ed. (1964). "Elections in Wisconsin". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1964 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 769. Retrieved January 4, 2024.