Francis Randall Appleton (August 5, 1854 – January 2, 1929) was an American lawyer and prominent New York society man during the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...

Early life

Francis Randall Appleton was born on August 5, 1854 in

Lenox, Massachusetts Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. The town is based in Western Massachusetts and part of the Pittsfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,095 at the 2020 census. Lenox is the site of Shakespeare & Company and T ...

. He was the eldest son born to Daniel Fuller Appleton (1826–1904), and Julia Randall (1827–1886). His siblings included Randolph Morgan Appleton (1862–1940), and James Waldingfield Appleton (1867–1942). After his mother's death in 1886, his father married Susan Cowles, daughter of the Rev. John P. Cowles, in 1889. His paternal grandfather was Brig. Gen.

James Appleton Brigadier General James Appleton (February 14, 1785 – August 25, 1862) was an American abolitionist, early supporter of temperance, and politician from Maine. Early life Appleton was born on February 14, 1785 in Ipswich, Massachusetts on a f ...

(1785–1862), an abolitionist, early supporter of

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

, and politician from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. His maternal grandfather was Nicholas P. Randall. He was educated at private schools and prepared for college at

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1875, and

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in 1877.

Career

In 1877, he was admitted to the bar in New York. Following his admission to the Bar, he practiced as a lawyer for several years in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. From 1884 until his retirement in 1910, he was a member of the firm of Robbins & Appleton, which was founded by his father and were the New York agents for the

Waltham Watch Company The Waltham Watch Company, also known as the American Waltham Watch Co. and the American Watch Co., was a company that produced about 40 million watches, clocks, speedometers, compasses, time delay fuses, and other precision instruments in the Un ...

Society life

Francis and his wife were included on

Ward McAllister Samuel Ward McAllister (December 28, 1827 – January 31, 1895) was a popular arbiter of social taste in the Gilded Age of late 19th-century America. He was widely accepted as the authority as to which families could be classified as the cream o ...

's list of New York's social elite during the Gilded Age, known as "

Four Hundred 400 (four hundred) is the natural number following 399 and preceding 401. Mathematical properties 400 is the square of 20. 400 is the sum of the powers of 7 from 0 to 3, thus making it a repdigit in base 7 (1111). A circle is divided into ...

", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' Appleton owned a home in New York, that he used during the Winter, and a home in Ipswich, which he used in the summer. The Ipswich home,

Appleton Farms Appleton Farms is a park in Ipswich, Massachusetts, owned and maintained by The Trustees of Reservations. The property was deeded to the Trustees in 1998. The land was granted to Samuel Appleton, an immigrant from Little Waldingfield, England, in ...

, was owned and operated by the Appleton family continuously since its founding in 1638. He was a member of the

Society of Colonial Wars The Society of Colonial Wars is a hereditary society composed of men who trace their descents from forebears who, in military, naval, or civil positions of high trust and responsibility, by acts or counsel, assisted in the establishment, defense, ...

, and was an overseer of

during 1903–1909. He was a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

and served as president of the

Harvard Club of New York The Harvard Club of New York City, commonly called The Harvard Club, is a private social club located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Its membership is limited to alumni, faculty, and boardmembers of Harvard University. Incorporated in 1 ...

from 1916 to 1919.

Personal life

On October 7, 1884, Appleton was married to Fanny Lanier (1864–1958), in Lenox, Mass. She was a daughter of Sarah Egleston and Charles D. Lanier (1837–1926), a close friend of

Pierpont Morgan John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known ...

. She was a granddaughter of banker

James Lanier James Franklin Doughty Lanier (November 22, 1800 – August 27, 1881) was an entrepreneur who lived in Madison, Indiana prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War (1861–1865). Lanier became a wealthy banker with interests in pork packing, ...

and a great-granddaughter of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

John Paterson who was on

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's staff during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. Together, they were the parents of five children: * Francis Randall Appleton, Jr. (1885–1974), who married Joan Mary Egleston (1912–2006) in 1935. * Charles Lanier Appleton (1886–1921), who died unmarried. * Ruth Appleton (1891–1943), who married William Greenough Wendell (1888–1967) in 1914. They divorced in 1938. * Alice A. Appleton (1894–1987), who married Clarence Leonard Hay (1884–1969), son of

U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

John Hay John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln, Hay's highest office was Un ...

, in 1914. His sister, Helen Hay, was married to

Payne Whitney William Payne Whitney (March 20, 1876 – May 25, 1927) was an American businessman and member of the influential Whitney family. He inherited a fortune and enlarged it through business dealings, then devoted much of his money and efforts to ...

in 1902. * James Appleton (1899–1915), who died young after a long illness. Appleton died on January 2, 1929. His widow died 29 years later in 1958.

References

External links

Photograph of Appleton from 1910
{{DEFAULTSORT:Appleton, Francis Randall 1854 births 1929 deaths Appleton family People from Lenox, Massachusetts Harvard College alumni Columbia Law School alumni Phillips Academy alumni People included in New York Society's Four Hundred