Andrew J. Applegate was the first Lieutenant Governor of Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

. A Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

, Applegate served Governor William H. Smith

William Hugh Smith

William Hugh Smith was the first Republican and the 21st Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama, serving from 1868 to 1870 during the period of military reconstruction. A former slave owner, he opposed secession from the union on the grounds it would imperil slave property...

 of the same political party, from 1868-1870.

The son of Benjamin and Rebecca Applegate, Andrew Applegate grew up on a farm near Georgetown

Georgetown, Ohio

Georgetown is a village in Brown County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,691 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Brown County. Georgetown was the childhood home of Ulysses S...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. His father's family had immigrated from Holland, later settling in Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

 and Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. Applegate was educated within the public schools of his home town, where he later studied and practiced law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

. During the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, Applegate enlisted on July 9, 1861, as a wagoner

Wagoner

Wagoner as a surname may refer to:* David Wagoner , American poet* Kenneth S. Wagoner , American professor and physiological skin scientist* Mark Wagoner , American politician, in Ohio...

 in the Fourth Independent Company, Ohio Cavalry, and rose in rank to quartermaster sergeant

Quartermaster Sergeant

Quartermaster Sergeant is a class of rank or appointment in some armed forces, especially those of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.-Ireland:Quartermaster Sergeant appointments in the Irish Defence Forces include:...

. In 1865, he was commissioned captain of Company H, 189th Ohio Infantry

189th Ohio Infantry

The 189th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 189th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio and mustered in for one year service on March 4, 1865 under the command of Colonel Henry D. Kingsbury.The...

.

Upon completion of his service, Applegate moved to Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....

 and continued his law practice. In 1867, Applegate was elected as a member of the Constitutional Convention in an attempt to frame a new constitution

Constitution

A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...

 for Alabama. In the election that soon followed, Applegate was elected lieutenant governor on August 13, 1868. He was also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows

Independent Order of Odd Fellows

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows , also known as the Three Link Fraternity, is an altruistic and benevolent fraternal organization derived from the similar British Oddfellows service organizations which came into being during the 18th century, at a time when altruistic and charitable acts were...

 and served Alabama for his complete two year term as lieutenant governor.

External links

• Biography courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives