Great American Heroes- John Fremont

John Fremont is known for many things. He was a military officer, an explorer, and a politician. During the Civil War he was given command of armies in the west but was released due to some hasty decisions that he made. As an explorer, he followed Lewis and Clarke into the American frontier, in the late 1830s and early 1840s. Fremont explored the west, mainly the Oregon Trail. He discovered many new plants during his explorations and the genus of the California Flannelbush is named for him. He is commonly known as "The Man who Mapped the West." He became prosperous during the California Gold Rush of 1848. In 1850, he became one of California's first two senators. In 1856 he was the Republican Party's first ever candidate. He ran again four years later, but withdrew so that Abraham Lincoln would receive the Republican nomination.