Andrew J. Applegate (October 14, 1833 – August 21, 1870) was a lawyer, officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and served as the first Lieutenant Governor of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

during

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Applegate served with Governor William H. Smith of the same political party, from 1868 to 1870.

Early life

A son of Benjamin and Rebecca Applegate, he grew up on a farm near Georgetown,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. His father's family had emigrated from

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

, settling in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and then

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, until finally moving to Ohio. Applegate was educated within the

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

s at Georgetown, where he later studied and practiced

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

Civil War

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Applegate enlisted for one year on July 9, 1861, as a

wagon A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are immediately distinguished from ...

er in the Fourth Independent Company, Ohio Cavalry, but soon became its

quartermaster sergeant Quartermaster sergeant (QMS) is a class of rank or appointment in some armed forces, especially those of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, and formerly also in the United States. Ireland Quartermaster sergeant () appointments in the Iri ...

. In March 1865, he was commissioned

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of Company H, 189th Ohio Infantry. Too late to see combat action, his regiment was sent to Alabama to serve on occupation duty.

Post-war career

After his discharge, Applegate returned home to Ohio and brought his family to

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

where he opened a law practice. In 1867, he was elected on a "Republican Union" ticket with

Lafayette Robinson Lafayette Robinson was a bank cashier who served as a delegate to Alabama's 1867 Constitutional Convention representing Madison County, Alabama. He also served on the Huntsville School Board. He worked at the Freedman's Savings Bank in Huntsville ...

and

Columbus Jones Columbus Jones (died 1869) was an American politician who was a delegate at Alabama's 1867 Constitutional Convention and served as state legislator representing Madison County, Alabama. He served in the Alabama House of Representatives and died wh ...

to serve as delegates to the Constitutional Convention to frame a new State

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

. Republicans supported African American voting and civil rights and were referred to as

Radical Republican The Radical Republicans (later also known as " Stalwarts") were a faction within the Republican Party, originating from the party's founding in 1854, some 6 years before the Civil War, until the Compromise of 1877, which effectively ended Reco ...

s. In the election under that constitution, Applegate was Alabama's first and only elected lieutenant governor on August 13, 1868. He moved to

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

and served Alabama two years as lieutenant governor. He died of mysterious causes in Chattanooga two years later.

References

External links

Findagrave entry
Lieutenant Governors of Alabama 1833 births 1870 deaths People from Georgetown, Ohio Politicians from Huntsville, Alabama Quartermasters Alabama Republicans Union Army officers American people of Dutch descent People of Ohio in the American Civil War Radical Republican Party politicians 19th-century American politicians Military personnel from Huntsville, Alabama Lawyers from Huntsville, Alabama 19th-century American lawyers {{alabama-politician-stub