In a new book, NPR’s Steve Inskeep has chronicled the little-known story of
how the illegitimate son of an immigrant rose to become the Republican
Party’s first presidential nominee in 1856 -- with a lot of help from his
wife. Lisa Desjardins sits down with Inskeep to discuss “Imperfect Union:
How Jessie and John Frémont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity, and Helped
Cause the Civil War.”
