Jesse Appleton

Jesse Appleton was born on November 17, 1772, in New Ipswich, New Hampshire. He was the son of Francis Appleton (1733–1816) and Elizabeth Hubbard Appleton (1730–1815). Appleton graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1792.

Following his graduation, Appleton worked at a parish in Hampton, New Hampshire. He received honorary degrees of Doctor of Divinity from Dartmouth College and Harvard University in the early 19th century. In 1807, he was appointed the second president of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, a position he held until his death in 1819. During his tenure, he was a Congregationalist minister and Christian lecturer, emphasizing piety among students. Appleton aimed to foster religious devotion and moral improvement in the college community.

Appleton was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1810 and became a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1813. His contributions to education and religious life were recognized through these memberships.

He was married to Elizabeth Means (1779–1844), the daughter of Robert Means from Stewartstown, County Tyrone, Ireland, and Mary McGregor (1752–1838). Elizabeth's sister, Mary Means (1777–1858), was married to Jeremiah Mason in 1799. Jesse and Elizabeth Appleton had five children who survived infancy:

- Mary Means Appleton (1801–1883), who married John Aiken (1797–1867).

- Frances Appleton (1804–1839), who married Alpheus Spring Packard Sr. (1798–1884), a Bowdoin professor and editor of Appleton's memoir.

- Jane Means Appleton (1806–1863), who became the First Lady of the United States as the wife of President Franklin Pierce.

- William Appleton (1808–1830), who died unmarried.

- John Appleton (1814–1817), who died young.

Jesse Appleton died of tuberculosis on November 12, 1819, in Brunswick, Maine. He was interred at Pine Grove Cemetery in Brunswick.

His descendants include:

Through his daughter Mary Means Appleton, he was the grandfather of William Appleton Aiken (1833–1929), who married Eliza Coit Buckingham, and Mary Appleton Aiken, who married Francis H. Snow, a professor and chancellor of the University of Kansas.

Through his daughter Frances Appleton, he was grandfather to William Alfred Packard (1830–1909), an alumnus of Bowdoin, and Alpheus Spring Packard Jr. (1839–1905), a Civil War surgeon and entomologist known for his correspondence with Charles Darwin.

Through his daughter Jane, Jesse Appleton was the grandfather of Franklin Pierce, Jr. (1836–1836), Franklin "Frank" Robert Pierce (1839–1843), and Benjamin Pierce (1841–1853), all of whom died in childhood. Franklin Pierce Jr. died young, Frank Pierce died at age four from epidemic typhus, and Benjamin Pierce died two months before Pierce’s inauguration when a train car they were traveling in derailed.

References for Jesse Appleton’s life and career are included in sources such as the 1879 edition of The American Cyclopædia, the 1900 Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography, and The Biographical Dictionary of America (1906). Additionally, biographical details are available through the Bowdoin College archives and other historical records.