Francis R. Appleton Explained

Francis Randall Appleton
Birth Date:	5 August 1854
Birth Place:	Lenox, United States
Death Place:	Ipswich, Massachusetts, United States
Relations:	James Appleton (grandfather)
Children:	5
Alma Mater:	Harvard College Columbia Law School

Francis Randall Appleton (August 5, 1854 – January 2, 1929) was an American lawyer and prominent New York society man during the Gilded Age.^[1]

Early life

Francis Randall Appleton was born on August 5, 1854, in Lenox, Massachusetts. He was the eldest son born to Daniel Fuller Appleton (1826–1904),^[2] and Julia Randall (1827–1886).^[3] 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.^[2]

His paternal grandfather was Brig. Gen. James Appleton (1785–1862),^[4] an abolitionist, early supporter of temperance, and politician from Maine.^[5] His maternal grandfather was Nicholas P. Randall.^[6]

He was educated at private schools and prepared for college at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard College in 1875, and Columbia Law School in 1877.^[7]

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. From 1884 until his retirement in 1910, he was a member of the firm of Robbins & Appleton,^[8] which was founded by his father and were the New York agents for the Waltham Watch Company.

Society life

Francis and his wife were included on Ward McAllister's list of New York's social elite during the Gilded Age, known as "Four Hundred", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in The New York Times^{[9] [10]}

Appleton owned a home in New York, that he used during the Winter, and a home in Ipswich, which he used in the summer.^[11] The Ipswich home, Appleton Farms, was owned and operated by the Appleton family continuously since its founding in 1638. He was a member of the Society of Colonial Wars, and was an overseer of Harvard College during 1903–1909. He was a member of the Republican Party and served as president of the Harvard Club of New York from 1916 to 1919.

Personal life

On October 7, 1884, Appleton was married to Fanny Lanier (1864–1958),^[12] in Lenox, Mass. She was a daughter of Sarah Egleston and Charles D. Lanier (1837–1926),^[13] a close friend of Pierpont Morgan.^{[14] [15]} She was a granddaughter of banker James Lanier and a great-granddaughter of Major General John Paterson who was on George Washington's staff during the American Revolutionary War. Together, they were the parents of five children:^{[16] [17]}

• Francis Randall Appleton, Jr. (1885–1974),^{[18] [19]} who married Joan Mary Egleston (1912–2006)^[20] in 1935.^[21]
• Charles Lanier Appleton (1886–1921), who died unmarried.^[22]
• Ruth Appleton (1891–1943), who married William Greenough Wendell (1888–1967) in 1914.^[23] They divorced in 1938.^[24]
• Alice A. Appleton (1894–1987), who married Clarence Leonard Hay (1884–1969),^[25] son of U.S. Secretary of State John Hay, in 1914.^[26] His sister, Helen Hay, was married to Payne Whitney in 1902.^[26]
• James Appleton (1899–1915), who died young after a long illness.^[27]

Appleton died on January 2, 1929.^[28] His widow died 29 years later in 1958.^[12]

External links

• Photograph of Appleton from 1910

Notes and References

1. News: Francis R. Appleton Jr., Head of Law Firm, Dead . The New York Times . 6 August 1974 .
2. News: DANIEL F. APPLETON DEAD; Delegate to the Fremont Convention of '56 and Founder of Waltham Watch Company.. 29 September 2017. The New York Times. 6 February 1904.
3. Book: Hannan. Caryn. Massachusetts Biographical Dictionary. 2008. State History Publications. 9781878592668. 26–27. 22 June 2017. en.
4. Web site: MHS Collections Online: James Appleton. Massachusetts Historical Society. 22 June 2017. en.
5. Book: Appleton, Daniel Fuller. The Origin of the Maine Law and of Prohibitory Legislation: With a Brief Memoir of James Appleton. 23 May 2014. 1886. National temperance society and publication house. 15–.
6. Web site: Dolan. Susan Hill. Campbell. Rebecca Gardner. Generations of Appleton Family Portraits. thetrustees.org. The Trustees of Reservations. 22 June 2017. Ipswich, Massachusetts. Fall 2013. 21 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160721153814/http://www.thetrustees.org/assets/documents/places-to-visit/Of_Farms_and_Family_rev_01_07_14.pdf. dead.
7. Book: The Harvard University Catalogue. 1904. Harvard University. 301. 29 September 2017. en.
8. News: ROYAL ROBBINS DIES.; Had Served as Treasurer of the Waltham Watch Company.. 29 September 2017. The New York Times. 5 May 1928.
9. News: McAllister. Ward. THE ONLY FOUR HUNDRED WARD M'ALLISTER GIVES OUT THE OFFICIAL LIST. HERE ARE THE NAMES, DON'T YOU KNOW, ON THE AUTHORITY OF THEIR GREAT LEADER, YOU UNDER-STAND, AND THEREFORE GENUINE, YOU SEE.. 26 March 2017. The New York Times. 16 February 1892. en.
10. News: IN THE NEWPORT CASINO; ALL SOCIETY AT THE SUBSCRIPTION BALL.THE CULMINATING SOCIAL EVENT OF THE SEASON--MAKING A FINE SHOWING ON THE POLO GROUNDS.. 29 September 2017. The New York Times. 26 August 1887.
11. Book: (Mass.). Ipswich. The Celebration of the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Town of Ipswich, Massachusetts, August 16, 1844. 1884. Little, Brown. 121. 29 September 2017. en.
12. News: Times. Special To The New York. Obituary -- APPLETON. 18 August 2017. The New York Times. 5 June 1958.
13. News: CHARLES LANIER, BANKER, DIES AT 89; Senior Member of Winslow, Lanier & Co. for 63 Years Is Victim of Apoplexy. CAME OF A NOTED FAMILY Had a Common Ancestor With Washington -- In Many Big Transactions -- Funeral Tomorrow... 18 August 2017. The New York Times. 8 March 1926.
14. News: LANIER LEFT ESTATE OF $9,677,364 NET; Broker's Securities Appraised at $4,402,858 and His Interest in Firm $4,617,418. BULK GOES TO FAMILY His Secretary Gets $40,000 Bequest -- Memento to His Friend J.P. Morgan.. 18 August 2017. The New York Times. 22 November 1927.
15. News: LANIER'S WILL LEAVES GIFTS TO CHARITY; Banker's Will Gives Silver Zodiac Tray to J.P. Morgan -- Employes Remembered.. 29 September 2017. The New York Times. 23 March 1926.
16. Book: Cutter. William Richard. New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation. 1913. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. 179. 22 June 2017. en.
17. Book: Appleton. William Sumner. A Rough Sketch of the Appleton Genealogy. 1873. T.R. Marvin & Son. 22 June 2017. en.
18. News: Francis R. Appleton Jr., Head of Law Firm, Dead. 29 September 2017. The New York Times. 6 August 1974.
19. Book: Tabler. Judith. Foxhunting with Meadow Brook. 2016. Rowman & Littlefield. 9781586671525. 269. 29 September 2017. en.
20. News: Joan Egleston Appleton. 29 September 2017. The Boston Globe. February 4, 2006.
21. News: FRANCIS APPLETON JR. WEDS JEAN EGLESTON; He and Brltlsh Girl Are Married in Church His Great-Uncle Founded at Ipswich. 29 September 2017. The New York Times. 30 May 1935.
22. News: DIED. Appleton. 29 September 2017. The New York Times. 9 December 1921.
23. News: RUTH APPLETON WEDS.; New York Society Girl Married to William G. Wendell.. 29 September 2017. The New York Times. 8 October 1914.
24. News: W. G. WENDELL DIVORCED; Former Ruth Appleton Wins Reno Decree on Cross-Complaint. 29 September 2017. The New York Times. 18 March 1938.
25. News: ALICE APPLETON TO WED.; Betrothed to Clarence L. Hay, Son of the Late Secretary of State.. 29 September 2017. The New York Times. 7 June 1914.
26. News: CLARENCE L. HAY WEDS MISS APPLETON; Son of Late Secretary of State Married to Daughter of Mr. and Mrs F. R. Appleton IN CHURCH AT IPSWICH Joan Whitney Maid of Honor and Harold S. Vanderbilt an Usher -Reception at Appleton Farms.. 29 September 2017. The New York Times. 6 August 1914.
27. News: DIED. Appleton. 29 September 2017. The New York Times. 13 October 1915.
28. News: FRANCIS R. APPLETON DIES AT COUNTRY HOME; Retired New York Business Man and a Former Harvard Overseer.. 18 August 2017. The New York Times. 3 January 1929.