Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Appleton, John

APPLETON, John, lawyer, b. in Beverly, Mass., 11 Feb., 1815; d. in Portland, Me., 22 Aug., 1864. He was graduated at Bowdoin college in 1834, in 1837 began the practice of law in Portland, and soon afterward became editor of the “Eastern Argus.” At this time he was register of probate for Cumberland co. In 1845 he was appointed chief clerk of the navy department, subsequently chief clerk of the state department, and in 1848 was sent out to Bolivia as chargé d'affaires for the United States. On his return in 1849 he resumed his law practice in Portland, and he was elected to congress in 1850. In 1855-'56 he was secretary of legation in London, in 1857 assistant secretary of state, and in 1860 became minister to Russia.