Carolyn Blanchard (Jensen) Allen (June 13, 1921 – October 9, 2018) was an American politician and

funeral home A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary, is a business that provides burial and funeral services for the dead and their families. These services may include a prepared wake and funeral, and the provision of a chapel for the funeral. Services ...

operator who served as a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

from 1963 until 1970.

Background

She was born Carolyn Jensen on June 13, 1921, in

Cambridge, Wisconsin Cambridge is a village in Dane (mostly) and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,638 at the 2020 census. Of this, 1,539 were in Dane County, and 99 were in Jefferson County. The Dane County portion of Cambridge ...

, daughter of Clarence B. and Eva (Bilstad) Jensen. She graduated from Cambridge High School, and from the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

with a Bachelor of Science degree in

speech therapy Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if they are th ...

. She married David J. Blanchard September 29, 1943. They moved to David's home town of

Edgerton, Wisconsin Edgerton is a city in Rock County and partly in Dane County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,945 at the 2020 census. Of this, 5,799 were in Rock County, and 146 were in Dane County. Known locally as "Tobacco City U.S.A.," beca ...

, where he practiced law. David was elected as 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 ...

to the

representing Rock County's 2nd Assembly district in 1954. At the time of his death, he was Speaker of the Assembly.

Legislative career

She was first elected to the Assembly in 1963 in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of David Blanchard. She was the first

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

woman to be elected to the Legislature via a special election, and re-elected in 1964, 1966, and 1968. On August 30, 1969, she married Malcolm V. Allen in her home in Edgerton. In 1970, while easily winning her

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, she was defeated in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

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 ...

Janet Soergel Mielke by 63 votes (5824 votes to 5761). She attempted to unseat Mielke in 1972, but fell short by a wider margin in what was now the 47th Assembly district.

After the legislature

For 24 years she lived in Evansville where she and Malcolm operated Allen Funeral Home. He died on May 16, 1987. Allen died on October 9, 2018, in Cambridge, Wisconsin, at the age of 97.Madison.com Local Obits: Allen, Carolyn Blanchard
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Carolyn Blanchard 1921 births 2018 deaths Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Cambridge, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Women state legislators in Wisconsin American funeral directors 21st-century American women