Capital punishment in Wisconsin

Capital punishment in Wisconsin was abolished in 1853. Wisconsin was one of the earliest United States jurisdictions to abolish capital punishment, and is the only state that has performed only one execution in its history.

Since its admission to the Union in 1848, as the 30th State, the only execution carried out in Wisconsin was the botched execution of immigrant farmer John McCaffary, who was hanged on August 21, 1851, in Kenosha County for drowning his wife in a backyard cistern.

Wisconsin abolished the death penalty in 1853 just two years after McCaffary's execution.

In 2006, an advisory referendum showed 55.5% of Wisconsin voters were in favor of reinstating capital punishment. The state legislature did not adopt any statute to implement the popular vote.

A 2013 poll by Marquette Law School showed that 46.6% of Wisconsin voters supported reinstating capital punishment, while 50.5% opposed.