Born in Pompey , New York , Seymour was admitted to the New York bar in 1832 but primarily focused on managing his family 's business interests . After serving as a military secretary to Governor William L. Marcy , Seymour won election to the New York State Assembly . He was elected that body 's speaker in 1845 and aligned with Marcy 's " Softshell Hunker " faction . Seymour was nominated for governor in 1850 but narrowly lost to the Whig candidate , Washington Hunt . He defeated Hunt in the 1852 gubernatorial election , and spent much of his tenure trying to reunify the fractured Democratic Party , losing his 1854 re-election campaign in part due to this disunity . Despite this defeat , Seymour emerged as prominent national figure within the party . As several Southern states threatened secession , Seymour supported the Crittenden Compromise as a way to avoid civil war . He supported the Union war effort during the Civil War but criticized President Abraham Lincoln 's leadership . He won election to another term as governor in 1862 and continued to oppose many of Lincoln 's policies . Several delegates at the 1864 Democratic National Convention hoped to nominate Seymour for president , but Seymour declined to seek the nomination . Beset by various issues , he narrowly lost re-election in 1864 . After the war , Seymour supported President Andrew Johnson 's Reconstruction policies . Entering the 1868 Democratic National Convention , there was no clear front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination , but Seymour remained widely popular . Serving as the chairman of the convention , as he had in 1864 , Seymour refused to seek the nomination for himself . After twenty-two indecisive ballots , the convention nominated Seymour , who finally relented on his opposition to running for president . Seymour faced General Ulysses S. Grant , the widely popular Republican Party nominee , in the 1868 election . Grant won a strong majority of the electoral vote , though his margin in the popular vote was not as overwhelming . Seymour never again sought public office but remained active in politics and supported Grover Cleveland 's 1884 campaign for president
1864 Democratic National Convention
1864 Democratic National Convention
Horatio Seymour