Rufus W. Applegarth (August 2, 1844 – June 17, 1921)[1] was an American lawyer and politician, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates.
Born at Baltimore, Maryland,[1] Applegarth attended public schools.
In 1909 in London he successfully defended the 68 year-old composer and conductor Tito Mattei against a charge of breaking the speed limit.
Applegarth had been a passenger in the vehicle and he successfully defended Mattei at the Police Court despite the prosecution's objections that Applegarth could not defend his client in an English court despite his 40 years experience as an American lawyer.
[2] He died in 1921 after he was hit by the driver of an automobile as he walked across a street in Baltimore.