Daniel Appleton (December 10, 1785 – March 27, 1849) was an American publisher who founded
D. Appleton & Co.
Early life
Daniel Appleton was born on December 10, 1785, in
Haverhill, Massachusetts. He was the son of Daniel Appleton (1750–1828) and Lydia (née Ela) Appleton (1747–1826).
Career
After a few years of schooling, he started a general store in Haverill. He moved to
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
and had his business office at 21 Broad Street, where he sold dry-goods imported from England.
Finally, in 1825, he moved to New York City where he gradually combined the importing of books with the dry-goods trade. The book department was placed in charge of
William Henry Appleton, his eldest son.
Later, he moved to Clinton Hall, Beekman Street, and devoted himself to the importation and sales of books, abandoning his dry-goods business. He published his first book in 1831. He gradually diversified. In 1841, he began offering children's books. In 1845, he began sending books to
Latin America
Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
which—despite his lack of contacts—turned out to be a good market for him due to its recent independence from Spain. His business in that region was enduring and profitable. In 1847, he started offering travel literature.
The firm which he established in New York City became known as
D. Appleton & Co. The publications of the house extend over the entire field of literature. The firm's ''
New American Cyclopedia'' was for 50 years the largest and most widely circulated work of its kind ever produced in the United States. His company was continued by his descendants.
Appleton retired in 1848.
Personal life
On December 18, 1813, Daniel married Hannah Adams (1791–1859), the daughter of John Adams and Dorcas Falkner, who bore him eight children:
*
William Henry Appleton (1814–1899), who married Mary Moody Worthen, daughter of Ezra Worthen and sister of
William Ezra Worthen, in 1844.
* Maria Louisa Appleton (b. 1815), who married
James E. Cooley (1802–1882)
* John Adams Appleton (1817–1881)
* Charles Horatio Appleton (1819–1820)
*
George Swett Appleton (1821–1878), who married Caroline Osgood, daughter of Robert H. Osgood, in 1847.
* Daniel Sidney Appleton (1824–1890), who married Melvina W. Marshall (d. 1878), daughter of
Charles H. Marshall, in 1858.
* Samuel Frances Appleton (1826–1883)
* Sarah Emeline Appleton (1829–1861),
who married Leopold Bossange, of Paris.
Appleton died in New York City on March 27, 1849.
Notes
Sources
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External links
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* NYPL
Portrait of AppletonDaniel Appletonat
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
Authorities — with about 15 catalog records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Appleton, Daniel
1785 births
1849 deaths
19th-century American businesspeople
American book publishers (people)
American book publishing company founders
Appleton family
Businesspeople from Boston
Businesspeople from New York City
Businesspeople in tourism
People from Haverhill, Massachusetts