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 Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,785 at the 2020 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island. A reside ...

on a family farm that had been granted to his ancestor, Samuel Appleton, in 1636. His parents were Samuel Appleton (1738–1819) and Mary (née White) Appleton (d. 1834), daughter of Rev. Timothy White, and his younger brothers were Timothy Appleton (1778–1857) and Samuel Appleton (1771–1852). His paternal grandparents were Elizabeth Sawyer (1709–1785) and Isaac Appleton (1704–1794), the son of Isaac Appleton (1664–1747) and Priscilla Baker, granddaughter of Lt. Gov. Samuel Symonds. Appleton was also the cousin of U.S. Rep. William Appleton (1786–1862), merchant Samuel Appleton (1766–1853), and U.S. Rep.

Nathan Appleton Nathan Appleton (October 6, 1779July 14, 1861) was an American merchant and politician and a member of " The Boston Associates". Early life Appleton was born in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, the son of Isaac Appleton (1731–1806) and his wife Ma ...

(1779–1861).

Career

Appleton fought in the War of 1812, commissioned July 3, 1813, and earned the rank of

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

with the

Massachusetts Militia This is a list of militia units of the Colony and later Commonwealth of Massachusetts. *Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts (1638) *Cogswell's Regiment of Militia (April 19, 1775) *Woodbridge's Regiment of Militia (April 20, ...

and was later promoted to the rank of Brigadier general. He commanded actions at Sandy Bay in September 1814 and Gallop's Folly in October 1814. Appleton lived much of his life in

and nearby Marblehead, Massachusetts prior to moving to Maine.

Massachusetts General Court

In 1813 and 1814, at the age of 28, Appleton, a practicing lawyer, was elected to represent Gloucester as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

to the

Massachusetts legislature The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

where he was an outspoken critic of the Missouri Compromise. In 1824, he was the official escort of the Marquis de Lafayette upon his visit to Boston. In 1832, he presented a petition to the Massachusetts legislature prohibiting sales of liquor in fewer quantities than thirty gallons.

Maine politics

In 1833, he moved to Portland, Maine, and was elected to the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via p ...

in 1836. The following year, he was chairman of a committee to consider the license system. In 1837, he submitted a report on the evils of liquor that became the basis of the Maine Temperance Law of 1846. The report was considered by Neal Dow to be the first official document in the history of Maine prohibiting the liquor traffic. In 1839 and 1840, he was vice president of the

American Anti-Slavery Society The American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS; 1833–1870) was an abolitionist society founded by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, had become a prominent abolitionist and was a key leader of this society ...

. In the

1842 Events January–March * January ** Michael Alexander takes office, as the first appointee to the Anglican-German Bishopric in Jerusalem. ** American medical student William E. Clarke of Berkshire Medical College becomes the first pe ...

, 1843, and 1844 gubernatorial elections, Appleton ran for Governor of Maine with the Liberty Party, an abolitionist political party. In

1848 1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...

, he was a Free Soil presidential elector supporting Martin Van Buren. In 1861, during the Civil War, James gave patriotic speeches defending the Union and in support of abolition.

Personal life

On November 15, 1807, he was married to Sarah Fuller (1787–1872), the daughter of Rev. Daniel Fuller and Hannah Bowers, of Gloucester. Together, they were the parents of: *Samuel Gilman Appleton (1808–1873), who married Sarah Gardiner, daughter of Rev. Sylvester Gardiner, in 1839. *Sarah Fuller Appleton (1811–1884), who married Rev. Stephen Caldwell Millett in 1833. *James Appleton (1813–1884), who married Sarah Bristol Edwards, daughter of Samuel L. Edwards, in 1842. *Mary White Appleton (1815–1905), who did not marry. *Elizabeth Putnam Appleton (1818–1897), who married Shelton L. Hall in 1845. *Joanna Dodge Appleton (1821–1870), who married Peyton R. Morgan in 1843. *Hannah Fuller Appleton (1823–1903), who married Robert Helyer Thayer (1820–1888). *Daniel Fuller Appleton (1826–1904), who married Julia Randall (d. 1886), daughter of Nicholas P. Randall. After her death, he married Susan Cowles, daughter of John P. Cowles, in 1889. *Harriette Hooper Appleton (1828–1905), who married Rev. John Cotton Smith, rector of St John's Church, Portland, and later of the Church of the Ascension in New York City, in 1849. *Anna Whittemore Appleton (1831–); married Dr. Charles H. Osgood, in 1852. He lived in Portland from 1833 until 1853 when his elder brother, Timothy Appleton, called him to help manage the family farm in Ipswich. He retired back to Ipswich, buying out his father's surviving heirs and became the sole owner of Appleton Farm in 1857. He died there in 1862.

Descendants

Through his son, Daniel, he was the grandfather of 36 including

Francis Randall Appleton Francis Randall Appleton (August 5, 1854 – January 2, 1929) was an American lawyer and prominent New York society man during the Gilded Age. Early life Francis Randall Appleton was born on August 5, 1854 in Lenox, Massachusetts. He was the eld ...

, a noted New York society man during the Gilded Age.

Honors

The Woman's Relief Corps gave a marker on Ipswich's North Green, named in honor of Appleton and in memory of the unknown soldiers and sailors of the Civil War.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Appleton, James 1785 births 1862 deaths Appleton family People from Ipswich, Massachusetts People from Marblehead, Massachusetts Politicians from Portland, Maine Members of the Maine House of Representatives People from Massachusetts in the War of 1812 American temperance activists Maine Federalists Maine Libertyites American militia generals American abolitionists Military personnel from Massachusetts American militiamen in the War of 1812