Hubert Allison Allen (April 4, 1872 – May 14, 1942) was an American general who served during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He is strongly associated with the

Iowa National Guard The Iowa National Guard consists of the: *Iowa Army National Guard and the * Iowa Air National Guard The Iowa National Guard headquarters is at Camp Dodge in Johnston, several miles north of the state capital Des Moines. The facility serves do ...

Early life

Allen was born in

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

Buchanan County, Iowa Buchanan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,565. Its county seat is Independence. The county was created in 1837 and was named in honor of Senator James Buchanan, the 15th Presi ...

, the son of Joel Oliver Allen and Mary Jane (McGary) Allen. He graduated from

Iowa State College Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

in Ames, Iowa in 1892.

Military career

On April 26, 1898 Allen enlisted with the 49th Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He served in Havana, Cuba from December 19, 1898 to April 1899 where he took the surrender of and occupied the forts guarding Havana. While in Cuba, he was twice the

provost-marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...

of the Seventh Army Corps. In

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

, Allen was honorably discharged as a captain on May 13, 1899. For twenty-five years, he was actively identified with the

.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 7 On June 26, 1915, he was made brigadier general, Iowa National Guard, for service on the Mexican border. On August 4, 1917 he was promoted to brigadier general (National Army) and given command of the 67th Infantry Brigade, 34th Division, at Camp Cody, in New Mexico. Allen was acting commander of the 34th Division in December 1917 and from August to October 1918. He also served in France from September 15, 1918 to April 30, 1919, where he graduated from the general officer school in

Langres Langres () is a commune in northeastern France. It is a subprefecture of the department of Haute-Marne, in the region of Grand Est. History As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe known as the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, then ...

. He also commanded the 56th Infantry Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, of the

Pennsylvania National Guard The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 pe ...

troops while in France. Allen was discharged as a brigadier general (National Army) on May 15, 1919, but was then commissioned a colonel. After coming back from France, he had two years of duty in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

commanding a regiment of Philippine Scouts and was sent to

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

to command the 14th Infantry. After returning to the United States, he served as a senior instructor to the Oregon National Guard until his retirement on September 30, 1935.Davis, Henry Blaine. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998.P.6

Civilian career

In his civilian life, he was the manager of the Iowa Telephone Company.

Community and political involvement

Allen belonged to the

United Spanish War Veterans The United Spanish War Veterans was an American veterans' organization which consisted of veterans of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and China Relief Expedition. Origins Soon after the Spanish–American War ended, in earl ...

, the Knights of Pythias, the Masons, and was a Republican. Allen served as a Vice President in the Iowa Rifle Association in 1914.

Death and legacy

Hubert Allison Allen died in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

on May 15, 1942. His papers are held by Lewis & Clark College Aubrey Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections, Portland, Oregon.The Hubert Allison Allen Collection (OLPb060ALL), Lewis & Clark College Aubrey Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections, Portland, Oregon

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References

Bibliography

*Davis, Henry Blaine. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. *Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Hubert Allison 1872 births 1942 deaths United States Army generals American Freemasons People from Independence, Iowa United States Army generals of World War I Iowa State University alumni Military personnel from Iowa