Augustus Franklin Allen (December 13, 1813 – January 20, 1875) was elected as a member of the United States Congress from

New York's 33rd congressional district New York's 33rd congressional district was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York. It was eliminated as a result of the 1990 Census. It was last represented by Henry J. Nowak. Much of this area bec ...

(

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua bro ...

and Cattaraugus Counties) in 1874. Allen died before he was able to take office.

Biography

Allen was born in

Wardsboro, Vermont Wardsboro is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 869 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Wardsboro, Wardsboro Center, West Wardsboro and South Wardsboro. History The town was settled circa 17 ...

, on December 13, 1813. When he was a child his family moved to

Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamestown is the largest pop ...

. He was educated locally and began working as a store clerk at age 17 in order to support his family after his father's death. He resided in Ellicott, was successful in business, and later became a partner in a lumber yard, woolen mill, railroads and other ventures.

Civil War

He served in the militia during the years before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and attained the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

as commander of a regiment in which his brother Dascum served as his second-in-command. Augustus Allen later attained the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

before becoming inactive in the militia. During the Civil War he was appointed to organize, equip, and train the 112th New York Infantry and commissioned as a colonel. He led the regiment for several months until being succeeded by Jeremiah C. Drake, who commanded until dying of wounds received at the

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

Political career

Originally a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Allen became a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in the 1850s because of the new party's antislavery position. He served as Ellicott's

Town Supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

and a member of the Chautauqua County Board of Supervisors from 1847 to 1848, 1852, 1856, 1860 to 1868, and 1871 to 1874. In 1867, he was elected to the New York Constitutional Convention. In 1874, he ran for the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

, but was defeated.Cutter, William Richard, ''Genealogical and family history of western New York,'' (Lewis Historical Publishing Co.: 1912) Vol. I, pg. 103-104 In 1874 Allen was elected to the United States House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Republican Walter L. Sessions by organizing a coalition of Democrats and former Liberal Republicans who had supported

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...

for President in 1872.

Death and burial

Allen had been ill during his campaign for Congress and died before the term started in March 1875. He died in Jamestown on January 20, 1875, and was buried in Jamestown's Lake View Cemetery.

References

External links

''History of Chautauqua County, New York''
Andrew W. Young, 1875
''History of Chautauqua County, New York, and Its People''
Volume 1, John Phillips Downs, Fenwick Y. Hedley, editors, 1921 * Town of Ellicott
Town of Ellicott Supervisors (1813-Present)
2008, page , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Augustus F. 1813 births 1875 deaths 19th-century American legislators American militia generals Elected officials who died without taking their seats New York (state) Democrats New York (state) Liberal Republicans People from Wardsboro, Vermont People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Politicians from Jamestown, New York Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Town supervisors in New York (state) Union Army colonels