Willis Allen

Willis Allen (born December 15, 1806 in Roanoke , Virginia , †  April 15, 1859 in Harrisburg , Illinois ) was an American politician . Between 1851 and 1855 he represented the state of Illinois in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Willis Allen attended public schools in his home country. After that he taught himself as a teacher for some time. He first moved to Wilson County in Tennessee . Since 1830 he lived in Franklin County , Illinois. After studying law and being admitted to the bar, he began working in this profession in Marion . Between 1834 and 1838 he was sheriff in his district. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . From 1838 to 1840 he was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives ; between 1844 and 1847 he was a member of the State Senate . In 1841, Allen became a district attorney for the Illinois First Judicial District. In 1847 and 1848 he was a delegate at a meeting to revise the state constitution.

In the congressional election of 1850 , Allen was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the second constituency of Illinois , where he succeeded John Alexander McClernand on March 4, 1851 . After re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1855 . Since 1853 he represented the then newly established ninth district of his state there. His time in Congress was shaped by the events leading up to the civil war . In 1854 he renounced another candidacy.

After his time in the US House of Representatives, Willis Allen practiced as a lawyer again. Since March 2, 1859, he was a judge in the 26th Judicial District of Illinois. He died on April 15, 1859, during a trial in Harrisburg. His son William (1829-1901) was also a member of Congress.

Web links

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

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