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Nathan Appleton PapersA Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of CongressPrepared by Robert Storm2009
Biographical Note
Return to the Table of Contents Scope and Content NoteThe papers of Nathan Appleton (1843-1906) span the period 1850-1904, with the bulk concentrated in the years 1876-1902. The collection consists largely of an autobiography, letters, newspaper articles, and other printed matter mostly relating to Appleton's connections with French attempts to construct a Panamanian canal and to his support of free trade. Nathan Appleton was born the son of a more noted Nathan (1779-1861), a merchant and congressman from Boston. After education at Harvard College, the younger Nathan served as an officer of volunteer artillerists in the federal armies. His wartime experiences impressed him deeply, forming a favorite subject for the speeches he was frequently asked to deliver throughout the rest of his life. After touring Europe, Appleton met Count Ferdinand de Lesseps at the opening of the Suez canal in 1869. From that time, Appleton became devoted to both the count and his projects. The two parts of the manuscript "Recollections of Brevet Captain Nathan Appleton, U.S.V." ("Action and Counteraction" and "Dramatis Personae") among the writings in this collection tell of Appleton’s acquaintance with Count de Lesseps over thirty years, centering on his eight years of service as American agent for the French company that attempted to construct a sea-level canal across Panama. Also in the collection is a notebook in which Appleton memorialized his friend: "Souvenirs of Ferdinand de Lesseps, 1898-99." Appleton's interest in the promotion of peaceful commerce between nations showed itself also in his action to establish free trade, culminating in his election in 1879 to the presidency of the United States Board of Trade. Letters and notes in the correspondence in this collection, addresses by Appleton and others among the writings, and printed matter among the miscellany treat the reduction or abolition of tariffs between nations. Appleton's activities on behalf of the Panamanian canal and free trade, his frequent and worldwide travels, and his position as a member of a prominent Bostonian family are reflected in the printed matter and correspondence. Among the many correspondents represented in the collection are Edwin M. Bacon, George E. Balknap, Edward Bellamy, Henry Bergh, George B. Cortelyou, Andrew Gregg Curtin, John William Draper, John W. Forney, Marcus Alonzo Hanna, George Frisbie Hoar, John Davis Long, Charles Eliot Norton, John C. Spooner, and Anne Whitney. Return to the Table of Contents Selected Search TermsPeople
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Return to the Table of Contents Arrangement of the PapersThis collection is arranged by type of material. Return to the Table of Contents Container ListCorrespondenceGeneral, circa 1850-1902, undatedLetters and notes relating to free trade, 1877, undatedUnited States Board of Trade, 1878-1881Published letters, 1884-1904WritingsNote and notebooks, circa 1870-1904Autobiographical notes, 1875-1890"Recollections of Brevet Captain Nathan Appleton, U.S.V.: 'Action and Counteraction,'" circa 1902pages I-VI, a-e, unnumbered, and 1-173pages 174-331pages 332-501pages 502-689pages 690-893"Recollections of Brevet Captain Nathan Appleton, U.S.V.: 'Dramatis Personae,'" circa 1902pages 894-1082pages 1083-1262pages 1263-1471pages 1472-1689pages 1690-1894Petition, 1876Addresses and tributes, 1876-circa 1904Appleton, William Sumner (cousin), compositions, 1854-1856Writings by others, 1876-circa 1877MiscellanyAnnotated photographs, circa 1870-1885Invitations, notices, and cards, 1877-1904, undatedPrinted matterFree trade, circa 1876-1877Panamanian canal, Panamanian canal, 1879-1904Newspaper and magazine articles, circa 1884-1891Passport and other printed matter, circa 1867-1899Return to the Table of Contents |
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