City namesake traveled widely

Mar. 14, 2009

A few weeks ago, we discussed the naming of area communities.

The story of the naming of the City of Fremont is well known. The city was named after pioneer and adventurer John C. Fremont, something of a national hero in 1849 when local residents debated the city's name.

Several other towns were also named for the explorer, politician and soldier.

Just who was this man who drew such recognition?

Well, Fremont was born in Savannah, Ga., the son of Jean Charles Fremont and Mrs. Anne Whiting Pryor. The couple reportedly fled from Mrs. Pryor's aged husband in Richmond, Va., in 1911. They reportedly never married, a fact that had an impact on Fremont's political career.

Fremont, a precocious, good-looking and daring youth with a great ability to gain sponsors and supporters, served briefly in the U.S. Navy and then became a second lieutenant in the U.S. Topographical Corps, assisting in surveying a rail route between Charleston and Cincinnati.

It is said that his work in the Carolina mountains nurtured his love of the wilderness.

His western adventures were really prompted by personal adventures. The influential father of 16-year-old Jessie Benton, who later would become Fremont's wife, was unhappy with their relationship and used his connections to have Fremont sent to explore the Des Moines River.

That effort produced credible maps of the Iowa territory, apparently winning him respect for future assignments.

After marrying Jessie, Fremont's relationship with her father, then Senator Thomas Hart Benton, improved and the senator became a valuable adviser.

In 1842, Fremont began an expedition to explore the Oregon Trail. The trip resulted in a book -- written with the help of his wife -- that played a role in his popularity and image.

In 1843, he launched an expedition to the Missouri River, the Arkansas River, the Great Salt Lake, Fort Boise and the Columbia River. During the adventure, he was joined by Kit Carson, the famous western adventurer. Fremont expanded the adventure, heading across the Sierra into California where he was hosted and re-supplied by Capt. August Sutter. He went south to Los Angeles and helped develop the "Spanish Trail" from Los Angeles to Santa Fe. His eventual return to St. Louis and then Washington produced great excitement and reportedly gave strong encouragement to westward expansion.

Kit Carson was again his guide in a wide-ranging expedition that included the central Rockies, the Great Salt Lake region and the Sierra Nevada.

During his expedition to California, the war with Mexico broke out and Fremont played a prominent role in the eventual victory in that territory.

As part of political machinations resulting from conflicting orders in the wake of the victory, Fremont was first named civil governor of California but within months was removed from office and detained as a traitor when power shifted from one military leader to another.

The end result was that Fremont was found guilty of mutiny, disobedience and conduct prejudicial to order. President James Polk overturned the penalty, but Fremont, who had public sentiment on his side, resigned from the service.

After an unsuccessful expedition to find passes for the Pacific railroad, Fremont struck it rich in the California gold fields.

He served as U.S. Senator from California for a short term and was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for president in 1856. His "illegitimate" birth was among the issues raised against him.

After the outbreak of the Civil War, Fremont had a disastrous experience in the Missouri area. As major-general in charge of the department of the West, he faced the task of organizing an army in a territory filled with southern-sympathizers, political and military enemies and limited resources. Despite successes, his failures and reckless approach to the job turned President Lincoln against him and led to his removal from office.

In the turbulent political climate of 1864, he was again nominated for the presidency -- this time in Cleveland by a convention of radical Republicans and war-supporting Democrats, but he withdrew just three months after the nomination.

His holdings in California and later business efforts eventually failed, but he lived out his life with the help of his wife's activities has an author, his appointment as territorial governor of Arizona and the restoration of his rank of major-general in the army, giving him the accompanying retirement pay.

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