William Appleton (November 16, 1786 – February 15, 1862) was an American businessman and politician from Massachusetts.

[2] At fifteen years of age he started work at a country store in Temple, New Hampshire.

[1] He worked for a store that bought and sold goods from the West Indies, and went into business for himself in 1807.

In 1841, he established William Appleton and Company in partnership with his son James and Samuel Hooper to conduct shipping and trading operations.

Mary Ann's maternal grandfather was James Sullivan, the 7th Governor of Massachusetts.

William served as treasurer in cousin Nathan's Appleton Mills in Lowell, MA.