Much of Boston society shunned Sumner after the Winthrop affair, and even close friends turned against him. The Winthrop controversy ended his regular and cordial visits to Appleton’s house, and Boston educator and author George Ticknor never spoke to Sumner again. A Beacon Hill woman who had invited Sumner to a dinner party later received a withdrawal of an acceptance from a guest who’d learned that Sumner would be in attendance.
