Born in Mildenhall, Suffolk, he was the son of Frederick Isaacson and Emma Elizabeth née Case.
[1] In 1857 he married Elizabeth Marie Louise Jaeger, only daughter of Stephen Jaeger, a banker from Frankfurt, Germany.They had two children: Frederick John Francis Wootton Isaacson (1858–1948) and Violet Marie Louise Wootton Isaacson (1861–1949).
[1][3] His wife established a millinery business on Regent Street as "Madame Elise", which was subsequently converted into a limited company.
[3] He described himself as a "Progressive Conservative" in politics and in 1880 put himself forward as a candidate for the constituency of Wednesbury, but withdrew before the poll took place.
[2] At the 1885 general election he narrowly failed to win the parliamentary seat of Stepney by 22 votes.