Thomas Allen (politician, 1813)

Thomas Allen

Thomas Allen (born August 29, 1813 in Pittsfield , Massachusetts , †  April 8, 1882 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician . In 1881 and 1882 he represented the state of Missouri in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Thomas Allen attended Pittsfield Academy and Berkshire High School . He then studied at Union College until 1832 . After a subsequent law degree in New York City and his admission to the bar in 1835, he began to work in this city in his new profession. He later moved to the federal capital Washington, where in 1837 he founded the newspaper "The Madisonian". Between 1837 and 1839 he headed the printing works of the US House of Representatives and then that of the US Senate until 1842 . In 1842 Allen moved to St. Louis , where he began a political career as a member of the Democratic Party .

Between 1850 and 1854 he was a member of the Missouri Senate . During these years he worked as a contract partner to improve the infrastructure. In railroad construction, he was responsible for building over 1,000 miles of new lines. In 1852 he made the first steam locomotive across the Mississippi River . He later became president of the St. Louis Railroad , Iron Mountain & Southern Railway . Allen has also worked in other industries such as banking. As a result, he sold all of his railway shares and withdrew from business life. Meanwhile, he continued his political career.

In the congressional election of 1880 , Allen was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington in the second constituency of Missouri, where he succeeded Erastus Wells on March 4, 1881 . He was able to exercise this mandate until his death on April 8, 1882. In a by-election, Republican James Henry McLean was elected as his successor. Thomas Allen was married to Ann Russell. Her son was the painter Thomas Allen .

Web links

• Thomas Allen in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Thomas Allen in the database of Find a Grave (English)