Daniel Webster - 1852 Election

1852 Election

In 1852, he made his final campaign for the Presidency, again for the Whig nomination. Before and during the campaign, a number of critics asserted that his support of the compromise was only an attempt to win southern support for his candidacy, "profound selfishness" in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Though the Seventh of March speech was indeed warmly received throughout the south, he gained support only from New England and was a distant third behind General Winfield Scott, who received the nomination, and President Fillmore. A rump "Native American Party" put his name on the ballot without permission and he collected a few thousand votes, even though he died just before the election.