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John C. Fremont, 1813-1890
During a series of expeditions into the West in the 1840s, John C. Fremont created detailed maps and reports that opened this region to American expansion. He joined the US Army Corps of Topographical Engineers in 1838 and several years later led his initial western expedition to map the territory through which the Oregon Trail would pass. Fremont became a national hero for identifying a route through the Rocky Mountains, but his reputation suffered in 1847 when he was dismissed from the army for disobeying an order. Elected as California's first US senator in 1849, Fremont was the Republican Party's first presidential candidate in 1856.
Mathew Brady, c 1856 |