Heman Allen (June 14, 1777 – December 11, 1844) was an American lawyer and politician from Milton,

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. He served as a

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Biography

Allen was born in Ashfield (now

Deerfield, Massachusetts Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Settled near the Connecticut River in the 17th century during the colonial era, the population was 5,090 as of the 2020 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachu ...

) to Enoch Allen and Mercy Belding Allen. He attended an academy in

Chesterfield, New Hampshire Chesterfield is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,552 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Spofford and West Chesterfield. Chesterfield is home to Spofford Lake, Chesterfield Gorge Natu ...

for two years before moving to

Grand Isle, Vermont Grand Isle is a town on Grand Isle in Grand Isle County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,086 at the 2020 census. A landing for the Lake Champlain Transportation Company's ferry to Plattsburgh, New York, at Cumberland Head is loc ...

. He read law with Elnathan Keyes of Burlington and Bates Turner of St. Albans. Allen was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1803. He began the

practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the profess ...

in Milton, and was the first resident lawyer in Milton. Allen served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1810 to 1814, 1816 to 1817, 1822, and 1824 to 1826. He moved to

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

in 1828 and continued the practice of law. He was elected as an

Anti-Jacksonian The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

candidate to the Twenty-second, Twenty-third and the Twenty-fourth Congresses March 4, 1831 to March 3, 1837). He was elected as a Whig candidate to the Twenty-fifth Congress, serving from March 4, 1837 until March 3, 1839. While in Congress, Allen served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury during the Twenty-third through Twenty-fifth Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1838 to the Twenty-sixth Congress. After leaving Congress, Allen resumed the practice of law. He was a director of the Lake Champlain Steamboat Company.

Personal life

Allen married Sarah Ann "Sally" Prentis Allen on December 4, 1804. They had eight children; Heman Jr., Lucius,

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

, Sarah, Charles Prentis, Joseph William, Julia, and James Heman. Allen was the distant cousin of Heman Allen (of Colchester), United States Representative from

Colchester, Vermont Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Colchester was 17,524. It is the fourth-most populous municipality and second-most populous town in the state of Vermont. Colchester bor ...

and America's first United States

Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

to Chile.

Death

Allen died in Burlington on December 11, 1844, and is interred at the Elmwood Avenue Cemetery in Burlington.

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: ALLEN, Heman (of Milton), (1777 - 1844)
*
Govtrack.us: Rep. Heman “of Milton” Allen

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Heman (of Milton) 1777 births 1844 deaths People from Deerfield, Massachusetts American people of English descent Vermont National Republicans National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont Members of the Vermont House of Representatives American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law