Election of 1852: Franklin Pierce and the Crossroads Before the Civil War
Democratic Party: Franklin Pierce (New Hampshire) and William King (Alabama)
Whig Party: Winfield Scott (New Jersey) and William Graham (North Carolina)
Free Soil: John Hale (New Hampshire) and George Julian (Indiana)
Election Results:
Pierce/King: 254 electoral votes, 1.6 million popular votes
Scott/Graham: 42 electoral votes, 1.3 million popular votes
Hale/Julian: 0 electoral votes, 155,000 popular votes
Summary:
The successes of the Polk administration in the mid-1840s, followed by the failures of Whigs Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore put the Democratic Party in a strong position going into 1852. The Whig Party was becoming a relic of the near past and was soon to become a part of the Republican Party in 1856. The stable of Democratic leaders was deep, including former Michigan governor Lewis Cass and Illinois politician Stephen Douglas. However, Franklin Pierce was a candidate that allowed the Democrats to cross sectional concerns and provide an opportunity to win back the White House.
Pierce, a colonel during the Mexican War and a New Hampshire legislator, was a relative unknown in the Democratic Party. His affable manner and his pro-Southern leanings, when coupled with his northeastern roots, made him a great candidate. In addition to this, the failed candidacy of Lewis Cass in 1848 and questions about whether Douglas would make a viable presidential candidate aided Pierce. Pierce won the nomination after some hand wringing by party regulars but promised to be a successful candidate.
The Whig Party’s candidate was General Winfield Scott, who commanded Pierce and others during the Mexican War. Scott’s campaign strategy consisted of deriding Pierce’s weak military record as well as a favorable view of the Compromise of 1850. This compromise, which was seen by many as a resolution to the north-south conflict over slavery, consisted of four bills. Under the Compromise, the territory of California would be admitted as a free state, New Mexico and Utah would have popular sovereignty, slavery would end in the District of Columbia, and the south got their way with the Fugitive Slave Act. However, the Whigs were not happy with Scott’s favorable view toward the Compromise and a significant number formed the Free Soil ticket with John Hale as the candidate.
The Pierce campaign favored the Compromise was able to take some votes away from Scott. However, the fact that all of the slave states voted for Pierce because of his view of the Fugitive Slave Act, as well as many northeastern states, was enough for the Democrats to make gains in Congress and win back the White House. Pierce, however, would not be successful in bridging the gap between the abolitionist North and the slave South.
