Editing Daniel Webster (section)

===1852 election===
[[File:1852WhigPresidentialNomination1stBallot.png|upright=1.4|thumb|Webster (red) won the support of several delegates at the [[1852 Whig National Convention]]]]

Encouraged by Fillmore's professed lack of desire to pursue the Whig nomination in the [[1852 U.S. presidential election]], Webster launched another campaign for the presidency in 1851.{{sfn|Remini|1997|pp=724–725}} Fillmore was sympathetic to the ambitions of his secretary of state, but he was unwilling to completely rule out accepting the party's 1852 nomination, as he feared doing so would allow his rival, William Seward, to gain control of the party.{{sfn|Smith|1988|pp=239–244}} Another candidate emerged in the form of General Winfield Scott, who, like previously successful Whig presidential nominees William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor, had earned fame for his martial accomplishments. Scott had supported the Compromise of 1850, but his association with Seward made him unacceptable to Southern Whigs.{{sfn|Smith|1988|pp=239–244}} As Southerners retained a lingering distrust of Webster, they threw their backing behind Fillmore.{{sfn|Holt|1999|pp=681–682}} Thus, Scott emerged as the preferred candidate of most Northern Whigs, Fillmore became the main candidate of Southern Whigs, and Webster was only able to win backing from a handful of delegates, most of whom were from New England.{{sfn|Remini|1997|pp=735–736}}

On the first presidential ballot of the [[1852 Whig National Convention]], Fillmore received 133 of the necessary 147 votes, while Scott won 131 and Webster won 29.{{sfn|Smith|1988|pp=244–247}} Although both Webster and Fillmore were willing to withdraw in favor of the other, their respective delegates at the convention were unable to unite around one candidate, and Scott took the nomination on the 53rd ballot.{{sfn|Remini|1997|pp=736–739}} Webster was personally devastated by the defeat, and he refused to endorse Scott's candidacy.{{sfn|Remini|1997|pp=739–741, 755}} Webster allowed various third party groups to nominate him for president, although he did not openly condone these efforts.{{sfn|Gienapp|1988|pp=20–21}} Scott proved to be a poor candidate, and he suffered the worst defeat in Whig history, losing to Democratic nominee [[Franklin Pierce]].{{sfn|Holt|1999|pp=754–755}} Thousands of anti-Scott Whigs and members of the [[Nativism (politics)|nativist]] [[Know Nothing|Native American Party]] cast their vote for Webster.{{sfn|Gienapp|1988|pp=29–30}}