Jessie
Benton Frémont (1824-1902)
Jessie Benton Frémont was only 16 years old when she married
explorer John C. Frémont against the wishes of her father, U.S.
Senator Thomas Hart Benton. Jessie spent much of her life promoting
her husband’s military and political career. The expeditionary
reports she edited for John wielded powerful political influence in
Washington. Jessie later became one of the first American women to make
a living by writing.
Benton Frémont did not travel these routes with her husband.
She did, however, write about them when she worked on the expedition
reports. |
