According to his wikipedia page, Franklin Pierce was considered by many Democrats to be a good compromise candidate that could unite both the northern and southern Democrats. However, he declined to run, and his name was never put back into consideration.
So firstly, how true was this?
Secondly, if Pierce had been named as a candidate to the Convention, would they have nominated him again?
Thirdly, if he had been the nominee, could he have defeated Lincoln?
And finally, if Pierce, by some miracle, had won a nonconsecutive second term, how does this affect the course of American politics?