Stephen Douglas 's role in the Compromise of 1850 , along with his aggressive rhetoric in foreign policy , had made him a front-runner for the 1852 Democratic nomination . But by the time of the May 1852 Democratic National Convention , former Secretary of State James Buchanan of Pennsylvania had eclipsed Douglas , who had made several enemies in the party and faced rumors about his drinking . The convention deadlocked between 1848 nominee Lewis Cass of Michigan and Buchanan , each of whom led on different ballots . On the 49th ballot , the party nominated former New Hampshire senator Franklin Pierce , who had been out of national politics for nearly a decade before 1852 . The nomination of Pierce , a Northerner sympathetic to the Southern view on slavery , united the Democrats and gave the party a decided advantage in the 1852 campaign
1852 Democratic National Convention
1852 Democratic National Convention
Presidency of Millard Fillmore