Andrew J. Applegate

Who was Andrew J. Applegate?

Andrew J. Applegate was the first Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, serving during Reconstruction. A Republican, Applegate served Governor William H. Smith of the same political party, from 1868-1870.

A son of Benjamin and Rebecca Applegate, he grew up on a farm near Georgetown, Ohio. His father's family had immigrated from Holland, settling in Pennsylvania and then Kentucky, until finally moing to Ohio. Applegate was educated within the public schools at Georgetown, where he later studied and practiced law. During the American Civil War, Applegate enlisted for one year on July 9, 1861, as a wagoner in the Fourth Independent Company, Ohio Cavalry, but soon became its quartermaster sergeant. In April 1865, he was commissioned captain of Company H, 189th Ohio Infantry. Too late to see action, his regiment was sent to Alabama to serve on occupation duty.

After his discharge, Applegate returned home for his family and moved to Huntsville, Alabama to open his law practice. In 1867, he was elected as a Radical Republican to serve as a member of the Constitutional Convention to frame a new State constitution.