I te tau 1844 i whiriwhiria ia ki te senate o te kawanatanga, i mahi tonu ia tae noa ki te wa i whiriwhiria ai ia hei kaitono Whig Party mo te kawana ki runga i te tiikiti me John J. Crittenden, i rongonui mo te Crittenden Compromise. I wikitoria nga Whigs i te pooti nui, a ka eke a Helm ki te kawana i te Hurae 31, 1850, i te wa i wehe atu ai a Crittenden mo te whakaaetanga ki te whakatu hei Kawana o te United States i roto i te kaunihera a te Perehitini Millard Fillmore. I muri i tana mahi hei kawana, ka riro a Helm hei perehitini o te kaupapa o Louisville me Nashville Railroad.
Ko John J. Crittenden