John James Appleton (September 22, 1792 – March 4, 1864) was an American

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

who served the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in several European countries.

Biography

Appleton was born in

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

on September 22, 1792 while his father John Appleton (1758-1829) was the U.S. Consul there. John James Appleton studied at

Phillips Andover Academy Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a private, co-educational college-preparatory school for boarding and day students located in Andover, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The academy enrolls ...

, and graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1813. Appleton was appointed secretary of the legation in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, and served from 1817 to 1819. He was then secretary of the legation at

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. He was nominated to serve as chargé d'affaires there, and held the position on an interim basis from 1820 to 1821, but the nomination not confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. From 1822 to 1824 Appleton was chargé d'affaires in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. He then served as chargé d'affaires in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

from 1826 to 1830. In Sweden he negotiated the commercial treaty that still serves as the basis of intercourse between the United States and

. In 1825 Appleton was appointed as U.S. special representative to the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

, where he attempted to settle American claims arising from the seizure and sale of ships and cargo during the government of

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also ; ; ; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French Army officer and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the military titles of Marshal of the ...

. Appleton was married to Marie Augustine Houdan (d. May 6, 1861), a native of France. Their children included Marie Augustine, John Osgood and Charles Louis. His daughter Marie married Eugene Pinault, who served as deputy mayor of Rennes, France. Appleton spent the greater part of his post-diplomatic career in France, making only occasional visits to America. John James Appleton died in Rennes on March 4, 1864.

References

* * *
A Rough Sketch of the Appleton Genealogy
', by William Sumner Appleton
"John James Appleton"
at Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State

in General News, ''New York Times'', April 3, 1864 *
John James Appleton
' in ''Catalogue of the Officers and Members of the Institute of 1770'' (Harvard University) {{DEFAULTSORT:Appleton, John James 1792 births 1864 deaths Appleton family 19th-century American diplomats Harvard University alumni Phillips Academy alumni Ambassadors of the United States to Sweden Ambassadors of the United States to Spain Ambassadors of the United States to Brazil

Biography

See also

References