Jessie Ann Benton Frémont (May 31, 1824 – December 27, 1902) was an American writer and political activist. She was the daughter of

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Thomas Hart Benton and the wife of

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

, explorer, and politician

John C. Frémont Major general (United States), Major-General John Charles Frémont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was a United States Army officer, explorer, and politician. He was a United States senator from California and was the first History of the Repub ...

. She wrote numerous stories that appeared in popular magazines of the time, as well as several historically significant books. Her writings, which helped sustain her family during times of financial hardship, primarily focused on memoirs of her experiences in the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is census regions United States Census Bureau As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the mea ...

. A staunch supporter of her husband, who served as one of the first two senators of the new U.S. state of California and as

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the Territory of Arizona, she was outspoken on political matters and a determined opponent of slavery, an institution excluded from the formation of California.

Early life

She was born near

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an Independent city (United States)#Virginia, independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, Virg ...

, as the second child of Thomas Hart Benton (1782–1858) and Elizabeth McDowell (1794–1854). Her birth took place in the home of her maternal grandfather, James McDowell. Despite her father, Senator Benton, desiring a son, he named her in honor of his own father, Jesse Benton. Jessie was raised in Washington, D.C., in a manner more typical of a 19th-century son than a daughter. Her father, renowned as the "Great Expansionist," oversaw her early education and introduced her to the prominent politicians of the era, an uncommon practice for the time. Jessie formed a strong bond with her father and remained by his side. He shared with her the numerous books and maps from the valise that accompanied him on their journeys between

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. Gradually, she began to adopt his vision of a nation stretching from ocean to ocean. Through this upbringing, she acquired a comprehensive education encompassing

social structure In the social sciences, social structure is the aggregate of patterned social arrangements in society that are both emergent from and determinant of the actions of individuals. Likewise, society is believed to be grouped into structurally rel ...

and various disciplines such as politics, history, literature, and

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

s. After achieving fluency in French and Spanish, Jessie contributed to the translation of government

document A document is a writing, written, drawing, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of nonfiction, non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ', which denotes ...

s. In 1840 at age 16, while studying and living at Georgetown Seminary, she met Lieutenant

who was in Washington preparing a report on explorations (with Joseph Nicollet as commander) he had made between the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

and the northern frontier of the United States. They became engaged, but her parents objected to a marriage at that time because of her age. Probably through the influence of Col. Benton, Frémont then received an order from the War Department to make an examination of the Des Moines River on the western frontier. Shortly after their return they were married on October 19, 1841.

American West

For a while after their marriage, Jessie and her husband lived on

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

posts, until Frémont was assigned the task of exploring the

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

and scouting land for future U.S. territorial expansion. It was this assignment that began the couple's rise to fame. John Charles Fremont crop

A reconciliation occurred between Jessie and her father when he promoted Frémont's famous explorations of the West. Senator Benton had been persuaded by his ailing wife to accept the marriage, and the couple moved into the Benton home. Frémont left his pregnant wife behind in the spring of 1842 to lead his first expedition to mark the trails West. He returned, however, days before the birth of their eldest child, Elizabeth Benton "Lily" Frémont, who was born November 15, 1842, in Washington D.C. He then headed off again, and Jessie and the baby remained behind. Frémont became known as the "Pathfinder to the West", after

James Fenimore Cooper James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonial and indigenous characters from the 17th to the 19th centuries brought h ...

's novel, '' the Pathfinder''. Jessie, intensely interested in the details of his expedition, became his recorder, making notes as he described his experiences. Adding human-interest touches to these printed reports, she wrote and edited best-selling stories of the adventures Frémont had while exploring the West with his scout,

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent and United States Army, U.S. Army officer. He became an American frontier legend in his own lifetime ...

. Thus, she involved herself in her most happy life's work, interpreting her husband and his actions for a public eager for information about the opening of the West. Written during a time when the concept of

Manifest Destiny Manifest destiny was the belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American pioneer, American settlers were destined to expand westward across North America, and that this belief was both obvious ("''m ...

was becoming increasingly popular, these narratives were received with great enthusiasm. Her husband was involved tangentially in the conquest of California, the annexation of which occurred as a result of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. He served as the 3rd

Military Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' may ...

, in 1847. At the time of the

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

of Frémont, during which he attempted to defend his actions in the

Bear Flag Revolt The California Republic, or Bear Flag Republic, was an List of historical unrecognized states#Americas, unrecognized breakaway state from Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico, that existed from June 14, 1846 to July 9, 1846. It milita ...

, Jessie gave birth to a son, Benton Frémont, on July 24, 1848, in Washington, D.C. The baby's death, within the year in St. Louis, she blamed on her husband's accuser, General Kearny. In 1849, Jessie and Lily made a harrowing and treacherous journey aboard ship to join Frémont in California. After disembarking and crossing the

Isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, they boarded another vessel to San Francisco. With income from their

gold mines Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to more complex ...

, the Frémonts established a home and settled into San Francisco society. As a politically informed woman, Jessie was known to get involved in city politics and discuss with the men any issues that were of importance at the time. She became a member of the Pacific Coast Women's Press Association.

Political life

John C. Frémont served from September 9, 1850, to March 3, 1851, as a

from California. Their third child, John C. Frémont Jr., was born on April 19, 1851, at Las Mariposas, California. While the couple was visiting Paris, France, their fourth child, Anne Beverly Frémont, was born on February 1, 1853. Anne died five months later, on July 11, in Washington, D.C. Their fifth and final child, Francis Preston Frémont, was born on May 17, 1855, in Washington. In 1856, Frémont's antislavery position was instrumental in his being chosen as the first-ever Republican

candidate A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group (sociology), group or election to an offic ...

for President. Jessie played an extremely active role in the campaign, rallying support for her husband. One particular campaign slogan read, "Frémont and Jessie too." Her father, however, a lifelong Democrat, refused to endorse her husband's bid for the presidency. This did not stop the supporters of Frémont from continuing to refer to her as the "first lady in the land," a title her admirers continued to use throughout her life. Frémont garnered many Northern votes but ultimately lost the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...

, though he did surpass the American Party candidate,

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853. He was the last president to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House, and the last to be neither a De ...

. Frémont was unable to carry the state of California. In the years following, the couple moved several times, living in California,

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, and New York. She played an active role in the anti-Secession movement in California in 1861 and enlisted both Unitarian minister Thomas Starr King and writer

Bret Harte Bret Harte ( , born Francis Brett Hart, August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

to her crusade. When Lincoln appointed Frémont as the Commander of the Department of the West in 1861, they returned to St. Louis. Jessie Frémont served as her husband's unofficial aide and closest adviser. The two shared the belief that St. Louis was unprepared for war and needed reinforcements and supplies, and both pressured Washington to send more supplies and troops. She threw herself into the war effort, helping to organize a Soldier's Relief Society in St. Louis and becoming very active in the Western Sanitary Commission, which provided medicine and nursing to soldiers injured in the war. One of the most impressive feats of her political career came shortly after Frémont lost his position during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

for issuing his own edict of

emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure Economic, social and cultural rights, economic and social rights, civil and political rights, po ...

, summarily freeing all of the slaves in Missouri, which predated Lincoln's own

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...

. Jessie actually traveled to Washington and pleaded with Lincoln on behalf of her husband, but to no avail.

Later years

The Frémonts would not live in St. Louis again, moving to New York and then California. In the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "L ...

, John C. Frémont, who had invested heavily in railroad

stock Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...

, lost everything and declared bankruptcy. Undaunted by their financial situation, Jessie began writing books to help support the family, namely ''A Year of American Travel: Narrative of Personal Experience'' (1878), a story about her journey to California in 1849, and ''Souvenirs of My Time'' (1887). From 1878 to 1881, John C. Frémont served as

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the Territory of Arizona. Three months after being allowed to resign from the Army with pension, he died in 1890 in a hotel in New York. After the death of her husband, the

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, in recognition of his valued services, granted Jessie a

widow's pension A widow's pension is a payment from the government of a country to a person whose spouse has died. Generally, such payments are made to a widow whose late spouse has fulfilled the country's requirements, including contribution, cohabitation, and l ...

of $2,000 a year. In 1891, she moved into a home at the corner of 28th and Hoover Streets in Los Angeles that was presented to her by a committee of ladies of the city as a token of their great regard. She remained in good health until about two and a half years before her death when an accident made her an invalid, but she was able to use a wheelchair and enjoy the outdoors. Jessie Benton Frémont died at age 78 at her home in Los Angeles. A huge box of fragrant and beautiful roses was sent on December 29, 1902, by Lucretia Garfield, a former first lady. The rites of the Episcopal Church were conducted at 10:30 a.m. on December 30, at Christ Church, on the corner of Pico and Flower streets. She was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

, and her ashes interred in Rosedale Cemetery. In 1960, actress Lorna Thayer was cast as Jessie Frémont in the episode, "The Gentle Sword" of the

syndicated television Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

, ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American Western (genre), Western anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was ...

''. In the story line, the Frémonts, in California during the gold rush, become involved in a mining claim dispute; Mrs. Frémont stares down organized claim jumpers.

Works

*''The Story of the Guard: A Chronicle of the War'' (1863) *''A Year of American Travel: Narrative of Personal Experience'' (1878) *''Souvenirs of My Time'' (1887) *''Far-West Sketches'' (1890) *''The Will and the Way Stories'' (1891) *''The Origin of the Frémont Explorations'' (1891) :The book ''Memoirs of My Life'' (1887) by John C. Frémont includes ''Sketch of Senator Benton'' by Jessie Benton Frémont.

Letters

*''The letters of Jessie Benton Frémont'' (1993) edited by Pamela Herr and Mary Lee Spence, Urbana:

University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois System. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, thirty-three scholarly journals, and several electroni ...

. :Collection of 271 letters offering insights into the mind and heart of the author, across the span of her life, including her husband's presidential campaign, her role in the Civil War, her time as First Lady of the Territory of Arizona, and her impressions of the late 1800s in California.

Biographies

*'' Jessie Fremont at Black Point'' (1974) by Lois Rather, Rather Press, Oakland CA *''Jessie Benton Frémont: A Biography'' (1987) by Pamela Herr *''Jessie Benton Frémont: A Woman who Made History'' (1995) by Catherine Coffin Phillips *''Jessie Benton Frémont: Missouri's Trailblazer'' (2005) by Ilene Stone and Suzanna M. Grenz *''Passion and Principle: John and Jessie Frémont, the Couple Whose Power, Politics, and Love Shaped Nineteenth-century America'' (2007) by Sally Denton *''Imperfect Union: How Jessie and John Fremont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity and Helped Cause the Civil War,'' (2020) by Steve Inskeep, Penguin Press

In fiction

*''Immortal Wife: The Biographical Novel of Jessie Benton Frémont'' (1944) by Irving Stone *Phillips, Michael and Judith Pella. The Journals of Corrie Belle Hollister: On the Trail of the Truth Bethany House Pub., 1991. *''Dream West'' is a 1982 historical novel by David Nevin about Charles and Jessie Frémont, which was adapted into a 1986 miniseries of the same name. The New York Times: David Nevin, Author of Historical Novels, Dies at 83.
/ref>

References

External links

1839 Portrait of Jessie Benton Frémont

* * *
Territorial Women's Memorial Rose Garden: Jessie Ann Benton Fremont

Territorial Women's Memorial Rose Garden: Elizabeth Benton (Lily) Fremont
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fremont, Jessie Benton 1824 births 1902 deaths 19th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American memoirists 19th-century American women writers Activists from California American abolitionists American non-fiction writers American women memoirists Arizona Republicans Burials at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery California Republicans Missouri Republicans New York (state) Republicans People from Mariposa County, California People from Rockbridge County, Virginia Spouses of California politicians Writers from Los Angeles Writers from San Francisco Writers from St. Louis Writers from Washington, D.C. Pacific Coast Women's Press Association Memoirists from California Benton family