Pillow 's antagonism for Scott was reflected in the 1852 election for president , when he opposed Scott and supported Franklin Pierce . Pillow attempted to win the vice presidential nomination , which went to William R. King . He intended to be a candidate for vice president in 1856 , but supported his brother-in-law Aaron V. Brown , who lost the nomination to John C. Breckinridge . In 1857 , Pillow tried unsuccessfully to secure the Democratic nomination for a seat in the United States Senate
attempted to win
1852 Democratic National Convention
Gideon Johnson Pillow