William Allen (governor)
William Allen | |
---|---|
Samuel Finley Vinton | |
Succeeded by | William K. Bond |
Personal details | |
Born | December 18 or 27, 1803 Edenton, North Carolina |
Died | July 11, 1879 Fruit Hill, Chillicothe, Ohio | (aged 75)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Effie McArthur |
William Allen (December 18 or 27, 1803 – July 11, 1879) was a
Early life and family
Allen was born in Edenton, North Carolina, to Nathanial Allen (1755-1805) and Fanny Coulston a slave that was owned by or a Mistress of his father Nathanial Allen. Upon the death of his mother then his brother Frances Allen William moved to Lynchburg Virginia, then to Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1819,to live with his sister.
His father wrote in his will[1] I give and devise that part of lot # 5 in the new plan of the town of Edenton joining the lots wheron I now dwell and as far as the same is at present under fence with all the improvements thereon to Fanny Coulston her heirs and assigns forever. I also give and bequeath unto the said Fanny Coulston her heirs and assigns such part of my household and kitchen furniture as my executors hereinafter named, shall judge reasonable and necessary, due regard being paid to the situation of my estate and the interest of her children. I give and bequeath unto my three natural sons, Francis, Bonaparte, and William begotten on the body of the said Fanny Coulston, all my wearing apparel, including whatever remains or that left to me by my deceased Uncle Joseph Hewes , Esquire, to be equally divided among them share and share alike. Before the signing and the execution of the above Will, I do hereby declare it to be my further will and desire that the aforesaid Fanny Caulston shall have the use and labor of my negro woman named Penny for and during the term of three years.
Allen and his sister Mary Granberry Allen lived in Chillicothe together. His sister married Reverend Pleasant Thurman, and their son, Allen G. Thurman, followed in his uncle's footsteps, becoming a lawyer and politician.
Allen attended Chillicothe Academy before studying law with Colonel Edward King. He was admitted to the bar in Ohio at age 21.[2] He began his career as a politician in the Democratic Party at a young age.[3]
Career
Allen served as
While in the Senate, Allen was one of a group of Western Democrat
In 1849, Allen retired to his farm, "Fruit Hill", which had belonged to his father-in-law, and fellow Ohio Governor,
Allen was noted for his loud voice. A friend asked Senator Benjamin Tappan if a fellow Ohioan was still in Washington. Tappan replied, "No, he left yesterday and is probably by this time in Cumberland, Maryland, but if you will go to Bill Allen and tell him to raise that window and call him, he will come back."[5]
Death
At the close of his administration, he retired to private life at Fruit Hill, where he died in 1879.
Legacy
Allen County, Kansas, is named for William Allen.[8]
In 1887, Ohio donated a
References
- ^ "Join Ancestry®". Ancestry.com.
- ^ Ohio History Central
- ^ a b Ryan, Daniel J (1888). "William Allen". A History of Ohio with Biographical Sketches of her Governors and the Ordinance of 1787. Columbus, Ohio: A H Smythe. pp. 190–191.
- ^ "William Allen". Architect of the Capital. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- Ohio Archaeological and Historical Publications. VI: 226.
- ^ Renick, L W; Fullerton, M D; Nipgen, M P (1896). Che-le-co-the, glimpses of yesterday: a souvenir of the hundredth anniversary of the founding of Chillicothe, Ohio April 1896. Chillicothe: Knickerbocker Press, New York. p. 76.
- ^ "Grandview Cemetery". Grandview Cemetery. Archived from the original on November 18, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ "Profile for Allen County, Kansas, KS". ePodunk. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ The National Statuary Hall Collection
- ^ Legacy for Ohio
- ^ "Inventive fundraising is called for Edison's statue." Columbus Dispatch, January 13, 2013, Page 2B
- ^ "Ohioans can visit statue before it heads to D.C." Columbus Dispatch, May 20, 2015, Page 9B
- ^ "Heritage Center gets historic statue" Chillicothe Gazette, September 23, 2016, Page A1
External links
- United States Congress. "William Allen (id: A000150)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- National Statuary Hall Collection: William Allen at Architect of the Capitol
- William Allen at Ohio History Central
- Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900. .