1963 Wisconsin Supreme Court election

1963 Wisconsin Supreme Court election
	April 2, 1963
Justice before election; Timothy Brown;	Elected Justice ; Bruce F. Beilfuss;

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

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 two consecutive elections were for open seats (without an incumbent running).^[2] As of 2025, this has only occurred in five further instances.^[a]

Candidates

Advanced to the general election

Bruce F. Beilfuss, Wisconsin Circuit Court justice
Harry E. Larsen, Superior-based attorney^[3]

Eliminated in the primary

Christ Alexopoulos
Davis Donnelly
William H. Evans

Results

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, 1963
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
Nonpartisan Primary, March 5, 1963^[4]
	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^[5]
	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

^
The five subsequent instances of this have been:^[2]
- 1977 and 1978
- 1980 and 1983
- 1995 and 1996
- 2018 and 2019
- 2023 and 2025

References

^ "Timothy Brown". Racine Journal Times. May 24, 1962. p. 10. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b 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.
^ "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.

[3] The five subsequent instances of this have been:^[2]
1977 and 1978

1980 and 1983

1995 and 1996

2018 and 2019

2023 and 2025

[2] 1977 and 1978

[3] 1980 and 1983

[4] 1995 and 1996

[5] 2018 and 2019

[6] 2023 and 2025

[1] "Timothy Brown". Racine Journal Times. May 24, 1962. p. 10. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[Ostermeier-2] Ostermeier, Dr Eric (January 13, 2025). "Wisconsin Supreme Court 2025 Election by the Numbers". Smart Politics (University of Minnesota). Retrieved July 5, 2025.

[40hour-4] "40-Hour Week for State Judges Urged by Larsen". Wisconsin State Journal. United Press International. February 22, 1964. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.

[1963pri-5] "Veteran Jurist Favored to Win". Oshkosh Northwestern. March 6, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[1964elex-6] Theobald, H. Rupert, ed. (1964). "Elections in Wisconsin". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1964 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 769. Retrieved January 4, 2024.

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(1962 ←) 1963 United States elections (→ 1964)
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Wisconsin Supreme Court elections
Seat currently held by Janet Protasiewicz	1852 1859 1865 1868 sp. 1871 1877 1883 1893 1898 sp. 1903 1913 1923 1933 1943 1953 1973 1983 1993 2003 2013 2023 2033
Seat currently held by Susan M. Crawford	1852 1855 1861 1867 1873 1879 1881 sp. 1889 1899 1908 sp. 1909 1918 sp. 1919 1929 1939 1949 1958 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 2015 2025 2035
Seat currently held by Rebecca Dallet	1852 CJ 1860 CJ sp. 1863 CJ 1868 CJ sp. 1869 CJ 1875 CJ 1881 CJ 1891 1899 sp. 1901 1911 1921 1930 sp. 1931 1941 1950 sp. 1951 1961 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008 2018 2028
Seat currently held by Annette Ziegler	1877 1887 1896 sp. 1897 1907 1917 1927 1937 1947 1957 1967 1977 1987 1997 2007 2017 2027
Seat currently held by Brian Hagedorn	1878 1885 1892 sp. 1895 1905 1915 1922 sp. 1925 1935 1945 1952 sp. 1955 1964 1974 1979 1989 1999 2009 2019 2029
Seat currently held by Rebecca Bradley	1904 1914 1924 1934 1944 1954 1959 1969 1976 1986 1996 2006 2016 2026
Seat currently held by Jill Karofsky	1906 1916 1926 1936 1946 1956 1966 1968 1978 1984 1994 2001 2011 2020 2030