Aldona Appleton

Aldona Eugenie Leszczynski Appleton (September 9, 1900 – April 17, 1997) was an American judge, lawyer, and politician. She was the first full-time female judge on the Superior Court of New Jersey and the second female judge in the history of New Jersey.

Aldona Eugenie Leszczynski was born on September 9, 1900 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, the daughter of Polish immigrants Thaddeus Leszczynski and Leokadya (Lottie) Mieszkowski Leszczynski. She graduated from Perth Amboy High School in 1918 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the New Jersey College for Women in 1924. Balking at a medical career due to the cost of education, she worked as a part-time teacher to fund her law school education. She graduated from the New Jersey Law School in 1929, one of eleven female graduates in a class of 900.

Aldona Appleton became active in the Middlesex County Democratic Party and worked as an aide for David T. Wilentz, the Attorney General of New Jersey. Wilentz had Appleton appointed deputy clerk for the Middlesex County courts in the 1940s. In 1952, she ran as the Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives in New Jersey's 5th congressional district, losing to Peter Frelinghuysen Jr. with only 37.8% of the vote.

Aldona Appleton died on April 17, 1997 in Cranbury, New Jersey.