The 1863 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held in the 16th Wisconsin Legislature on January 22, 1863. Incumbent Republican U.S. senator James R. Doolittle was re-elected on the first ballot.[1]
At the start of the 1863 term, Republicans held majorities in both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature, but their majorities were bolstered by three "pro-Union" fusion candidates, some of whom had previously been Democrats. Counting only those who were elected as Republicans, they could only afford four defections in the vote for United States senator. The incumbent, Doolittle, faced opposition from the Radical Republican wing of the party, but other candidates were reluctant to seek the nomination.[2]
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