Frémont, John C.
Frémont, John C. (1813–1890), explorer, Civil War general, U.S. senator, and first Republican candidate for president.Born in Georgia, Frémont briefly attended the College of Charleston. He began his military career in 1833, teaching mathematics to shipborne cadets aboard the sloop‐of‐war Natchez. Five years later, he was appointed a second lieutenant in the army's Topographical Engineers.
In 1846, on the eve of the Mexican War, Frémont, sometimes called “the Pathfinder,” was leading his third exploring expedition in the Far West. Although he led only part of the U.S. conquest of California, Frémont denied that his scientific expedition there was a mere pretext—one in fact encouraged by his powerful father‐in‐law, Senator Thomas Hart Benton, and by President James K. Polk.
Before the Mexican War began, Frémont encouraged a band of disgruntled...
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