He belonged to the past, the party was looking to the future.

It demanded a more energetic and attractive candidate, and John C.Fremont was chosen on the first ballot.

He was forty-three years of age, with a creditable record in the Regular Army, and wide fame as a scientific explorer in the Western mountain ranges, then the _terra incognita_ of the continent.

He was a native of South Carolina, and had married the brilliant and accomplished daughter of Colonel Benton.
Always a member of the Democratic party, he was so closely identified with the early settlement of California that he was elected one of her first senators.

To the tinge of romance in his history were added the attractions of a winning address and an auspicious name.
The movement in his behalf had been quietly and effectively organized for several months preceding the convention.