Frontiersmen Fr矇mont and Carson. John Charles Fr矇mont (January 21, 1813 - July 13, 1890) was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. He retired from the military and moved to the new territory California, after leading a fourth expedition which cost ten lives seeking a rail route over the mountains around the 38th parallel in the winter of 1849. During the Civil War he was given command of the armies in the west but made hasty decisions, and was consequently relieved of his command (fired, court martial, presidential pardon). He died in 1890 of peritonitis. Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson (December 24, 1809 - May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a trapper in the West. He gained renown for his role as John C. Fremont's guide in the American West. Carson also played a role in California's Bear Flag Revolt during the 1846-48 Mexican-American War. He died at age 58 in 1868, from an abdominal aortic aneurysm.