Nathan Appleton
Encyclopedia
Nathan Appleton was an American
merchant and politician.
, the son of Isaac Appleton and his wife Mary Adams. Appleton's father was a church deacon, and Nathan was brought up in "strictest form of Calvinistic Congregationalism
." He was educated in the New Ipswich Academy
. He then entered Dartmouth College
in 1794, however, that same year he left college to begin mercantile life in Boston, Massachusetts in the employment of his brother, Samuel Appleton
(1766–1853), a successful and benevolent man of business, with whom he was in partnership from 1800 to 1809.
Appleton married Maria Theresa Gold on April 13, 1806. Two months later, he hired the artist Gilbert Stuart
to paint portraits of the newlyweds. The couple had five children: Thomas Gold Appleton
(1812–1884); Mary "Molly" Appleton (1813-?), who married Robert James Mackintosh
; Charles Sedgwick Appleton (1815–1835); Frances "Fanny" Elizabeth Appleton (1817–1861), who married the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
; George William Appleton (1826–1827), who died in infancy. The Appletons attended Federal Street Church.
In 1813 Appleton co-operated with Francis Cabot Lowell, Patrick T. Jackson, Paul Moody and others in introducing the power loom
and the manufacture of cotton
on a large scale into the United States, a factory being established at Waltham, Massachusetts
in 1814. The Waltham mill employed the first power loom ever used in the United States. This proving successful, he and others purchased the water-power at Pawtucket Falls
, and he was one of the founders of the Merrimac Manufacturing Company. The settlement that grew around these factories developed into the city of Lowell
, of which in 1821 Mr. Appleton was one of the three founders. In a pamphlet entitled The Origin of Lowell, Appleton wrote of the mills: "The contrast in the character of our manufacturing population with that of Europe has been the admiration of most intelligent strangers. The effect has been to more than double the wages of that description of labor from what they were before the introduction of this manufacture".
Appleton was a member of the general court of Massachusetts
in 1816, 1821, 1822, 1824 and 1827. In 1831-1833 and also 1842 he served in the United States House of Representatives
, in which he was prominent as an advocate of protective duties. He was also a member of the Academy of Science and Arts, and of the Massachusetts Historical Society
. He published speeches and essays on currency, banking, and the tariff, of which his Remarks on Currency and Banking (enlarged ed., 1858) is the most celebrated, as well as his memoirs on the power loom and Lowell. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1842.
Maria Theresa Appleton died of tuberculosis
in 1833. Nathan Appleton remarried on January 8, 1839, to Harriot Coffin Sumner (1802–1867), the daughter of Jesse Sumner, a Boston merchant, and Harriot Coffin of Portland, Maine. They had three children: William Sumner Appleton (1840–1903); Harriet Sumner Appleton (1841–1923), who married Greely Stevenson Curtis; Nathan Appleton (1843–1906).
His daughter Fanny married Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1843. As a wedding gift, Appleton purchased the house in which Longfellow had been renting rooms, now known as the Longfellow National Historic Site
. He paid $10,000 for the home. Frances wrote to her brother Thomas on August 30, 1843: "We have decided to let Father purchase this grand old mansion", which was also a former headquarters of George Washington
during the American Revolutionary War
. Nathan Appleton also purchased the land across the street, as Longfellow's mother wrote, "so that their view of the River Charles
may not be intercepted".
Appleton was also the cousin of William Appleton.
Fanny Appleton died on July 10, 1861, after accidentally catching fire; her father was too sick to attend her funeral. Appleton died the next day, in Boston, on July 14, 1861.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
merchant and politician.
Biography
Appleton was born in New Ipswich, New HampshireNew Ipswich, New Hampshire
New Ipswich is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,099 at the 2010 census. New Ipswich, situated on the Massachusetts border, includes the villages of Bank, Davis, Gibson Four Corners, Highbridge, New Ipswich Center, Smithville, and Wilder, though these...
, the son of Isaac Appleton and his wife Mary Adams. Appleton's father was a church deacon, and Nathan was brought up in "strictest form of Calvinistic Congregationalism
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
." He was educated in the New Ipswich Academy
New Ipswich Academy
New Ipswich Academy was a historic private academy in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, which operated from 1789 to 1968.-History:...
. He then entered Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1794, however, that same year he left college to begin mercantile life in Boston, Massachusetts in the employment of his brother, Samuel Appleton
Samuel Appleton
Samuel Appleton was an American merchant and philanthropist, active in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Great Britain. The city of Appleton, Wisconsin was named in his honor by Amos Lawrence.-Biography:...
(1766–1853), a successful and benevolent man of business, with whom he was in partnership from 1800 to 1809.
Appleton married Maria Theresa Gold on April 13, 1806. Two months later, he hired the artist Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Charles Stuart was an American painter from Rhode Island.Gilbert Stuart is widely considered to be one of America's foremost portraitists...
to paint portraits of the newlyweds. The couple had five children: Thomas Gold Appleton
Thomas Gold Appleton
Thomas Gold Appleton , son of merchant Nathan Appleton, was an American writer, an artist, and a patron of the fine arts...
(1812–1884); Mary "Molly" Appleton (1813-?), who married Robert James Mackintosh
Robert James Mackintosh
Robert James Mackintosh , son of Sir James Mackintosh and his second wife, was a British colonial governor. As Governor of Antigua, he was the viceroy in the Leeward Islands colony between 1850 and 1855....
; Charles Sedgwick Appleton (1815–1835); Frances "Fanny" Elizabeth Appleton (1817–1861), who married the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
; George William Appleton (1826–1827), who died in infancy. The Appletons attended Federal Street Church.
In 1813 Appleton co-operated with Francis Cabot Lowell, Patrick T. Jackson, Paul Moody and others in introducing the power loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
and the manufacture of cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
on a large scale into the United States, a factory being established at Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
in 1814. The Waltham mill employed the first power loom ever used in the United States. This proving successful, he and others purchased the water-power at Pawtucket Falls
Pawtucket Falls (Massachusetts)
Pawtucket Falls is the name of a waterfall on the Merrimack River at Lowell, Massachusetts. The waterfall and rapids below it drop a total of 32 feet in a little under a mile., and was an important fishing ground for the Pennacook Indians in pre-colonial times.This location was used as a benchmark...
, and he was one of the founders of the Merrimac Manufacturing Company. The settlement that grew around these factories developed into the city of Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
, of which in 1821 Mr. Appleton was one of the three founders. In a pamphlet entitled The Origin of Lowell, Appleton wrote of the mills: "The contrast in the character of our manufacturing population with that of Europe has been the admiration of most intelligent strangers. The effect has been to more than double the wages of that description of labor from what they were before the introduction of this manufacture".
Appleton was a member of the general court of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1816, 1821, 1822, 1824 and 1827. In 1831-1833 and also 1842 he served in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, in which he was prominent as an advocate of protective duties. He was also a member of the Academy of Science and Arts, and of the Massachusetts Historical Society
Massachusetts Historical Society
The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history...
. He published speeches and essays on currency, banking, and the tariff, of which his Remarks on Currency and Banking (enlarged ed., 1858) is the most celebrated, as well as his memoirs on the power loom and Lowell. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1842.
Maria Theresa Appleton died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1833. Nathan Appleton remarried on January 8, 1839, to Harriot Coffin Sumner (1802–1867), the daughter of Jesse Sumner, a Boston merchant, and Harriot Coffin of Portland, Maine. They had three children: William Sumner Appleton (1840–1903); Harriet Sumner Appleton (1841–1923), who married Greely Stevenson Curtis; Nathan Appleton (1843–1906).
His daughter Fanny married Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1843. As a wedding gift, Appleton purchased the house in which Longfellow had been renting rooms, now known as the Longfellow National Historic Site
Longfellow National Historic Site
The Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, also known as the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House and, until December 2010, Longfellow National Historic Site, is a historic site located at 105 Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For almost fifty years, it was the...
. He paid $10,000 for the home. Frances wrote to her brother Thomas on August 30, 1843: "We have decided to let Father purchase this grand old mansion", which was also a former headquarters of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Nathan Appleton also purchased the land across the street, as Longfellow's mother wrote, "so that their view of the River Charles
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
may not be intercepted".
Appleton was also the cousin of William Appleton.
External links
- Nathan Appleton Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography