Edward Payson Allen (October 28, 1839 – November 25, 1909) was a

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. He served two terms in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1887 to 1891.

Early years

Allen was born in

Sharon Township, Michigan Sharon Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,737 at the 2010 census. Communities * Rowes Corner is an unincorporated community located within the township at the intersection of M-5 ...

, on October 28, 1839, and attended the district and select schools. Until his twentieth year his time was divided between farm labor in summer and attending and teaching school in winter. He graduated from the State normal school (now

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

) in 1864, going thence to

Vassar, Michigan Vassar is a city in Tuscola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Founded March 1, 1849. The population was 2,727 at the 2020 census and 2,697 in 2010 (an increase of about 1.1%). The city is located on the western edge of Vassar Township but i ...

, where for three months he taught the Union School. In June, 1864, near the end of 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 ...

, Allen enlisted and helped to raise a company for the Twenty-ninth Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, he was commissioned

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in September 1864 and before the close of the war, he was promoted to a

captaincy A captaincy ( es, capitanía , pt, capitania , hr, kapetanija) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule ...

. He mustered out with his regiment in September 1865.

Career

Allen graduated from the law school of

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

in March 1867 and was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

, commenced practice in co-partnership with the Hon. B. M. Cutcheon in Ypsilanti. He became assistant assessor of internal revenue in 1869 and prosecuting attorney of

Washtenaw County Washtenaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw ...

in 1872. He was alderman of Ypsilanti 1872-1874 and was elected to the

Michigan State House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 U ...

in 1876 and again in 1878, at which time he was elected speaker pro tempore. He was mayor of Ypsilanti in 1880 and was appointed United States Indian agent for Michigan in August 1882, serving until December 1885. Allen lost his first election for the

in 1884. In 1886, Allen 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 ...

from

Michigan's 2nd congressional district Michigan's 2nd congressional district is a United States congressional district in Western Michigan. The current 2nd district contains much of Michigan's old 4th congressional district, and includes all of Manistee, Mason, Lake, Osceola, Cla ...

for the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Congresses, serving from March 4, 1887, to March 3, 1891. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1890 to the

Fifty-second Congress The 52nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1891, ...

Last years

After leaving Congress, Allen resumed the practice of law and was a member of the State board of agriculture 1897-1903 and was again mayor of Ypsilanti in 1899 and 1900. He was a member of the State soldiers’ home board 1903–1909. Allen died from a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

in Ypsilanti and is interred in Highland Cemetery there.

References

Citations

Sources

* Retrieved on 2009-04-11
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Edward P. 1839 births 1909 deaths Burials at Highland Cemetery Michigan lawyers Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives People of Michigan in the American Civil War Politicians from Ypsilanti, Michigan Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Eastern Michigan University alumni University of Michigan Law School alumni 19th-century American legislators Mayors of Ypsilanti, Michigan