Arthur I. Appleton

Born in Evanston, Illinois, on October 14, 1915, Arthur Ivar Appleton was the son of Swedish industrialist Albert Ivar and Lillian Wihk Appleton. The Appleton children loved art and antiquities from an early age because their mother, a concert pianist, singer and collector of fine art, shared with them her love of beautiful things. Arthur bought his first piece of artwork when he was just 17 years old and through the years he developed a distinguished collection of artwork from many different cultures.

He entered Dartmouth College at age 16 and five years later, in 1936, graduated with a Master’s in Business Administration from Amos Tuck School of Business Administration and Finance. During World War II, he served in the Navy as a Lieutenant Senior Grade. On his return to civilian life, Appleton joined the family business and served in various capacities with the company. When his father retired, Arthur took over the family business and was its president until it was sold to Emerson Electric upon his retirement in 1982.

Arthur I. Appleton passed away at Bridlewood Farm, Ocala on January 15, 2008 at the age of 92.