Robert Allen (politician, 1778)

Robert Allen (born June 19, 1778 in Augusta County , Virginia , †  August 19, 1844 in Carthage , Tennessee ) was an American politician . Between 1819 and 1827 he represented the state of Tennessee in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Robert Allen attended the public schools of his home country and then the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg . After studying law and being admitted to the bar, he began to work in his new profession. In 1804, Allen moved to Carthage, Tennessee, where he worked in commerce. He also served in the Smith County Administration for many years . During the British-American War of 1812 he served as colonel in a regiment with volunteers from Tennessee under the command of General Andrew Jackson .

Politically, Allen was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party . After its dissolution in the 1820s, he joined the movement around his former commander Jackson, from which the Democratic Party emerged in 1828 . In the state-wide held congressional elections of 1818 he was elected for the first seat of Tennessee in the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , where he succeeded Thomas Claiborne on March 4, 1819 . After three re-elections, he was able to complete four legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1827 . These have been overshadowed by discussions between the supporters of President John Quincy Adams and those of Andrew Jackson since 1825 . Since 1825 Allen represented the fifth constituency of his state as the successor to Jacob C. Isacks . During this time he was also chairman of the committee in Congress that dealt with claims from the War of Independence .

In 1826, Allen decided not to run again. After retiring from the US House of Representatives, he worked in Carthage in agriculture and trade. He died there on August 19, 1844. He was buried in Lebanon .

Web links

• Robert Allen in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Robert Allen in the database of Find a Grave (English)