candidates for United States Senate—U.S. senators at the time were elected by the state legislature, rather than through popular election. The Democratic Party had a clear majority in the Legislature, thus Collins and Whiton were defeated by the Democratic Party ticket of Henry Dodge and Isaac P. Walker. Later that year, Collins was appointed to the first board of regents of the University of Wisconsin. Whiton went on to service on the Wisconsin Circuit Court, and later became the first chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The following year, in 1849, Collins was the Whig Party's nominee in the 2nd Wisconsin gubernatorial election, running against incumbent governor Nelson Dewey. Collins was defeated and Dewey went onto another term as governor. Two years later, in 1851, Collins was, again, the Whig nominee for United States Senator, running against incumbent Democrat Henry Dodge. The Democratic Party still held a significant majority in the 1851 legislature, thus re-elected Dodge. In 1852, Collins became chairman of the Whig Party in Wisconsin, and served as a delegate to the 1852 Whig National Convention, in Baltimore. The 1852 convention would turn out to be the last Whig National Convention. At the convention, Collins was a strong supporter of Daniel Webster, who had been supportive of the Compromise of 1850 and associated with the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. When the convention chose General Winfield Scott as its nominee, Collins left in disgust. As the Whig Party dissolved into the newly forming Republican Party, Collins became briefly associated with the Democratic Party. In 1855, with support of the Democratic Party, he was elected Circuit Court Judge for the newly created 9th Circuit. He had to resign a few years later, in the Fall of 1858, due to health problems. Later years After leaving the court, he went into the land business with his brother-in-law, former Territorial Governor James D. Doty, in Menasha, Wisconsin. At the start of the American Civil War, their business faltered, and in 1864, Collins traveled to California for health and recreation. He returned to Wisconsin in 1867, and, in 1874, resumed his law practice in Appleton, Wisconsin. Death In his later years, Judge Collins resided with his son, Alexander, Jr., in Neenah, Wisconsin, and his daughter, Mrs. Jessie McCord, in Milwaukee. He died in Neenah on October 31, 1901. Electoral history United States House of Representatives (1848) | colspan="6"