James Allison Jr. (October 4, 1772June 17, 1854) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, serving two terms from 1823 to 1825.

Biography

James Allison Jr. (father of John Allison) was born near

Elkton, Maryland Elkton is a town in and the county seat of Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,776 at the 2020 census, up from 15,443 in 2010. It was formerly called Head of Elk because it sits at the head of navigation on the Elk R ...

. He moved with his parents to

Washington County, Pennsylvania Washington County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington, Pe ...

, in 1774. At seventeen years of age, he enrolled in the school of David Johnson of

Beaver, Pennsylvania Beaver is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is located near the confluence of the Beaver and Ohio rivers, approximately northwest of Pittsburgh. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,438. ...

. He saw service in the Indian warfare at Yellow Creek. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1796, and commenced practice in Washington, Pennsylvania. He returned to Beaver in 1803 and continued the practice of law until 1822, when he was elected to Congress. He served as prosecuting attorney of

Beaver County, Pennsylvania Beaver County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,215. Its county seat is Beaver, and its largest city is Aliquippa. The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the commonw ...

, from 1803 to 1809.

Congress

Allison was elected as a Jackson Republican to the Eighteenth and a Jacksonian to the Nineteenth Congresses and served until his resignation on August 26, 1825 before the assembling of the Nineteenth Congress.Dubin, Michael. ''United States Congressional Elections 1788-1997'', p. 85.

Later career and death

He resumed the practice of law until 1848, after which he discontinued active pursuits and lived in retirement until his death in Beaver in 1854. He was interred in Old Cemetery.

References

Profile
PoliticalGraveyard.com. Accessed March 28, 2024. {{DEFAULTSORT:Allison, James Pennsylvania lawyers 1772 births 1854 deaths Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania People from Elkton, Maryland Politicians from Cecil County, Maryland 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives