William Appleton (politician)
William Appleton | |
|---|---|
U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts | |
| In office March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1855 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel Atkins Eliot |
| Succeeded by | Anson Burlingame |
| Constituency | 1st district (1851–53) 5th district (1853–55) |
| In office March 4, 1861 – September 27, 1861 | |
| Preceded by | Anson Burlingame |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Hooper |
| Constituency | 5th district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 16, 1786 Longwood, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Whig Constitutional Union |
| Spouse | Mary Ann Cutler |
| Relatives | Appleton family |
| Profession | Politician, Banker, Merchant |
William Appleton (November 16, 1786 – February 15, 1862) was an American businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He was a trader, shipowner, and banker, and served as a U.S. representative from Massachusetts from 1851 to 1855, and again from 1861 to 1862.
Early life
Appleton was born in
Career
He worked for a store that bought and sold goods from the
In 1841, he established William Appleton and Company in partnership with his son James and Samuel Hooper to conduct shipping and trading operations. They engaged in the California hide trade, and in commerce with China. He retired from the company in 1859.[1]
He was noted for benevolence toward public causes: he was president of Massachusetts General Hospital, to which he donated $30,000, and made other large donations.
Political career
In 1850, Appleton was elected U.S. Representative from Massachusetts's 1st district as a Whig. He was re-elected in 1852, this time from Massachusetts's 5th district, as districts had been redrawn after the 1850 census. He was defeated for re-election in 1854, and lost again in 1856.
In 1860, he was again elected Representative, as a Constitutional Unionist. He took his seat in 1861, but resigned in September, due to failing health.[2]
Appleton died five months after his resignation, on February 15, 1862, in
Personal life
Appleton was married to Mary Ann Cutler (1794–1860), daughter of James Cutler (1767-1799) and Mehitable Sullivan (1772–1847). Mary Ann's maternal grandfather was
. Together, they were the parents of:- William Sullivan Appleton (1815–1836)
- James Amory Appleton (1818–1843), who married Mary Ellen Lyman (1819–1875)
- Sarah Elizabeth Appleton (1822–1891), who married Amos Adams Lawrence (1814–1886), son of Amos Lawrence
- Francis Henry Appleton (1823–1854), who married Georgiana Crowninshield Silsbee (1824–1901), daughter of Nathaniel Silsbee, Jr.
- William Joseph Warren Appleton (1825–1877), who married Emily Warren (1818–1905), daughter of surgeon John Collins Warren[5]
- Edward H. Appleton (1827–1827)
- Harriet Cutler Appleton (1828–1857), who married Franklin Gordon Dexter (1824–1903)
- Hetty Sullivan Appleton (1831–1901), who married Thomas Jefferson Coolidge (1831–1920)
- Charles Hook Appleton (1833–1874), who married Isabella Mason (1835–1869)
His diaries were published in 1922 entitled Selections from the diaries of William Appleton, 1786-1862. Appleton was the first cousin of U.S. Representative Nathan Appleton,[6] and first cousin, once removed, of writer and artist Thomas Gold Appleton. William served as treasurer in cousin Nathan's Appleton Mills in Lowell, MA.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d Robbins, Chandler (1863) Memoir of Hon. William Appleton
- ^ a b United States Congress. "William Appleton (id: A000270)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Riverside Press, pp. 4–5
- ^ Baker Library, Harvard Business School, Notes on William Appleton and Company records
- ^ "Will of Emily W. Appleton". The Boston Globe. June 6, 1905. p. 14. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ )
External links
- United States Congress. "William Appleton (id: A000270)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900.
- William Appleton & Company Records at Baker Library Historical Collections, Harvard Business School.
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