Born in Maytown , Pennsylvania , Cameron made a fortune in railways , canals , and banking . As a member of the Democratic Party , he won election to the Senate in 1845 , serving until 1849 . A persistent opponent of slavery , Cameron briefly joined the Know Nothing Party before switching to the Republican Party in 1856 . He won election to another term in the Senate in 1857 and sought the Republican presidential nomination at the 1860 Republican National Convention . After the first ballot of the convention , he withdrew his name from consideration in favor of Lincoln , who went on to win the Republican nomination
1860 Republican National Convention
1860 Republican National Convention
Simon Cameron