Douglas Earl Applegate (March 27, 1928 – August 7, 2021) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 18th congressional district from 1977 to 1995, as a member of the Democratic Party.

[4] Applegate and Michael Blischak were given the Democratic nomination to run for seats in the Ohio House of Representatives in the 1960 election and defeated Republican nominees Ed Griffith and William G.

[5][6] On January 19, 1962, Applegate announced that he would run for reelection and as the multi-member district was eliminated he ran in the Democratic primary against Blischak.

[7] He defeated Blischak in the primary and won reelection against Republican nominee Edward V. Miller in the general election.

[33] Applegate supported Representative Wayne Hays during the 1970 gubernatorial election and wanted to be the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.

[34][35] Applegate was one of the candidates included in a straw poll conducted by the Democratic Party in Clark County which was won by Robert E.

[36] Anthony O. Calabrese Jr. won the lieutenant gubernatorial nomination, but lost in the general election to Republican nominee John William Brown.

[47] Applegate defeated Republican nominee Ralph R. McCoy and independent candidate William Crabbe, who was the mayor of Steubenville, in the 1976 election.

[57] Applegate defeated Michael Palmer, a follower of Lyndon LaRouche, in the 1986 Democratic primary and faced no opposition in the general election.

When he was appointed to the Veterans' Affairs committee in 1977, he replaced James V. Stanton, who had left to unsuccessfully run for the Democratic senatorial nomination.

[85] Applegate and Representatives Charles Vanik, Don Pease, Mary Rose Oakar, and Tom Luken lobbied for Thomas L. Ashley to be given the position of chair of the Budget committee for the 95th United States Congress.

[87][88] He served as the chair of the Ohio Democratic congressional delegation during the 96th United States Congress until he asked for Louis Stokes to take over for him.

[90] He proposed a plank to the Democratic platform calling for the increased use of coal to reduce the United States' dependence on oil from other countries.

[92] Applegate proposed a favorite son coalition with Representative James Traficant to bring a focus on regional issues during the 1988 Democratic presidential primary stating that "our districts are contiguous and our problems are parallel".

[123] Applegate stated that "I'm against any gun control", but voted in favor of a seven-day waiting period for handgun purchases in 1988.

[126] Applegate proposed a resolution to the Ohio Senate which called for President Richard Nixon to commute William Calley's sentence.

[141] The House of Representatives voted 217 to 205, with Applegate in favor, against legislation to increase the power of construction workers to picket.

[143] In 1971, Applegate introduced legislation on Earth Day that would amend Ohio's Constitution to give the right to clean air, pure water, and a healthful environment to present and future generations.

[145] He proposed legislation that would increase the power of the Ohio Air Pollution Control Board, give local governments the ability to adopt air pollution standards if they were less strict than the standards of the board, and increase the penalty for violations of the legislation.

[151] Applegate voted in favor of an amendment to a defense appropriations bill which prohibited the usage of the money on abortions except for when the life of the mother is at risk.

[152] Noel Vaughn, the chair of the Freedom of Choice Coalition, stated that Applegate was one of Ohio's congressmen who had introduced and supported anti-abortion legislation.

[153] He voted in favor of an amendment to legislation in 1981, to prohibit the usage of federal employee medical insurance to pay for abortions unless the life of the mother was at risk.

[159] He supported the creation of a Liaison Office with Taiwan and opposed permanent normal trade relations with China.

[172] He opposed sending American soldiers to Saudi Arabia, criticized President George H. W. Bush's plans in the Persian Gulf, and voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 1991.

[177] Applegate voted against a resolution urging for the national rugby team of South Africa to not be allowed to play in the United States due to the country's apartheid policies.

[181] Applegate, Tony P. Hall, Bob McEwen, Tom Kindness, Ralph Regula, and Mike DeWine helped present petitions by the Veterans Vigil Society requesting for the full accounting of the 2,490 Americans that were missing in action in Indochina to Speaker Tip O'Neill in 1984.

[182] Applegate was given a score of 100% by the American Security Council Foundation in 1980, and was the only Democratic member of Congress from Ohio to receive a 100%.

[187] Applegate proposed legislation to expand the definition of what abuse towards the United States flag is in response to an art piece by Dread Scott entitled What Is the Proper Way to Display a U.S.

[191] Ralph Nader's Congress Watch gave Applegate a score of 40% on consumer protection, government reform, taxation, energy, and waste-subsidy in 1978.

[229][230] He opposed the special election held to fill the Ohio's 17th congressional district following John M. Ashbrook's death stating that it was "a waste of the taxpayers' money" due to its $175,000 cost and that its sole purpose was "to get someone in who will do nothing, but vote the way the White House wants."