Arthur MacArthur Sr - 4th WI Governor - Birthday

Arthur MacArthur Sr
4th WI Governor - March 21, 1856 – March 25, 1856
The Governor was elected to two-year terms until 1967 when it changed to four-years

The 1855 election, however, also produced a controversy with the apparent re-election of Barstow by a mere 157 votes. Barstow's Republican opponent, Wisconsin state senator Coles Bashford, claimed fraud and challenged the results. On January 7, 1856, both Bashford and Barstow were sworn in as Governor of Wisconsin in separate ceremonies. The outgoing Attorney General, George Baldwin Smith, filed quo warranto proceedings to have Barstow removed, and the case Atty. Gen. ex rel. Bashford v. Barstow soon reached the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Barstow initially attempted to challenge the jurisdiction of the court over election results but eventually relented, and, on March 21, 1856, sent his resignation to the Wisconsin Legislature.

MacArthur became the acting Governor of Wisconsin. Four days later, the Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously decided in favor of Bashford, a ruling that the results from several precincts northern counties appeared fraudulent. MacArthur, though he had at first decided to hold the governor's office regardless of the court's decision, reconsidered and relinquished the governorship to Bashford
      Portrait by William F Gogswell