Payne entered local politics as a Democrat , serving as a Presidential elector in 1848 for Democratic nominees Lewis Cass and William Orlando Butler . He was elected to the Cleveland City Council in 1849 , and served there until 1854 . At the same time , he was a member of the Ohio Senate from 1849 to 1851 . His skill as a parliamentarian led his party to nominate him for the United States Senate in 1851 , but the election went to Whig candidate , Benjamin Wade , by a vote of 44 – 34 . Payne attended the 1856 Democratic National Convention , where he worked successfully for the nomination of James Buchanan . He ran for Governor of Ohio in 1857 , but narrowly lost to the incumbent Republican , Salmon P. Chase . With more than 300,000 votes cast , Payne fell short of victory by just 1,503 . In 1860 , he again attended the Democrats ' convention , where he helped nominate his old friend Stephen A. Douglas , and sided with Douglas 's faction as the party divided into northern and southern halves
Democrats ' convention
1860 Democratic National Conventions
Henry B. Payne