Jockeying for the American Presidency: The Political Opportunism ...

If Van Buren was not “withdrawn” (he won the party's nomination, but then lost the general election to Clay—the belief at the time), then Polk would be well positioned to earn the support of Van Buren's delegates for a presidential run of his own in 1848. Thus, Polk “displayed that shrewdness and attention to detail, which made him one of the most astute politicians of his time.”¹²

As Polk was leaving Nashville on May 15, he received a letter from Johnson containing good news. Undertaking some reconnaissance, Johnson explained that he had spoken with Silas Wright, a New Yorker who was Van Buren's confidante, about the convention. Johnson wrote Polk that he had been interested in discovering (1) if Wright had any presidential ambitions of his own, and (2) who Wright thought would be an acceptable candidate to Van Buren's supporters should Van Buren not secure the nomination. Johnson happily reported that Wright was not interested in the presidency for himself and that he thought Polk was “the only man…the Northern Democrats would support if Van Buren was set aside because [he] was known to be firm and true to the cause.” Polk wrote two additional letters to Johnson. The first, written on May 14, was sent on May 15 with his second letter, which he wrote that day after he received Johnson's missive (the second bore the words “Highly Confidential” on it, whereas in the other from May 14, he told Johnson that he could show it to Silas Wright). Polk continued to demur about his presidential ambitions: “You know that I have never aspired to anything beyond the second office, and that I have desired” (what politician only aspires to the vice presidency?). He also encouraged his friend to keep working on his behalf (“If the feeling of the Northern Democrats continues to be such as Mr. Wright expressed it to be, in the conversation with you—they would probably yield to a compromise—if my friends in the South and Southwest would propose it as a compromise”). After recommending that Gideon Pillow, a Tennessee delegate and Columbia attorney, work with Johnson at the convention, Polk put his faith in Johnson to execute his vision (“You will be on the spot and will be best able to judge”). He ended his second letter with the comment about Fortuna, which begins this chapter.¹³