Editing Winfield Scott (section)

===Service under Tyler===
{{Further|Presidency of John Tyler}}
[[File:Winfield Scott - National Portrait Gallery.JPG|thumb|200px|Painting of Scott by [[Robert Walter Weir]], 1855]]
On June 25, 1841, Macomb died, and Scott and Gaines were still the two most obvious choices for the position of [[Commanding General of the United States Army]]. Secretary of War [[John Bell (Tennessee politician)|John Bell]] recommended Scott, and President Tyler approved; Scott was also promoted to the rank of [[Major general (United States)|major general]].{{efn|Gaines remained on active duty, but was increasingly marginalized.  He commanded various districts and departments until he died in 1849.}} According to biographer [[John Eisenhower]], the office of commanding general had, since its establishment in 1821, been an "innocuous and artificial office ... its occupant had been given little control over the staff, and even worse, his advice was seldom sought by his civilian superiors." Macomb had largely been outside the chain of command, and senior commanders like Gaines, Scott, and Quartermaster General Thomas Jesup reported directly to the Secretary of War.{{sfn|Eisenhower|1999|pp=208–209}} Despite Scott's efforts to invigorate the office, he enjoyed little influence with President Tyler, who quickly became alienated from most of the Whig Party after taking office.{{sfn|Eisenhower|1999|pp=209–210}} Some Whigs, including [[Thaddeus Stevens]] of Pennsylvania, favored Scott as the Whig candidate in the [[1844 United States presidential election|1844 presidential election]]. Still, Clay quickly emerged as the prohibitive front-runner for the Whig nomination.{{sfn|Eisenhower|1999|pp=211–213}} Clay won the 1844 Whig nomination, but he was defeated in the general election by Democrat [[James K. Polk]]. Polk's campaign centered on his support for the [[Texas annexation|annexation]] of the [[Republic of Texas]], which had gained independence from [[Mexico]] in 1836. After Polk won the election, Congress passed legislation enabling the annexation of Texas, and Texas achieved statehood in 1845.{{sfn|Eisenhower|1999|pp=213–215}}