James Cameron Allen (January 29, 1822 – January 30, 1912) was 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 ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. Born in

Shelby County, Kentucky Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,065. Its county seat is Shelbyville. The county was founded in 1792 and named for Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky. Shelb ...

to Benjamin and Margaret (née Youel) Allen, the seventh of ten children. His family moved to Parke County, Indiana in 1830. Allen read law in the office of Howard & Wright in

Rockville, Indiana Rockville is a town in Adams Township, Parke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,607 at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Parke County. It is known as "The Covered Bridge Capital of the World". History Rockv ...

, and in August, 1843, he 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 ...

and began to practice in Sullivan, Indiana. He served as prosecuting attorney for the seventh judicial district of Indiana 1846-1848 before moving to Palestine, Illinois, where he continued to practice law. He served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 10th district from 1851 to 1853. Allen was elected as a

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 ...

to the Thirty-third Congress (March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855). When he presented his credentials as a Member-elect to the Thirty-fourth Congress and served from March 4, 1855, to July 18, 1856, the House decided he was not entitled to the seat due to a challenge by Colonel

William B. Archer William Beatty Archer (January 30, 1793 – August 9, 1870) was an Illinois politician and businessman. Archer was a member of the Illinois General Assembly from 1825 until 1843, during which time he also served on the state Board of Canal ...

, who claimed there were irregularities in the election. Allen was subsequently elected to fill the vacancy thus caused and was allowed to serve from November 4, 1856, to March 3, 1857. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1856. Following his term in office, he served as the Clerk of the House of Representatives in the Thirty-fifth Congress from 1857 to 1859. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Illinois Governor in 1860, losing to Richard Yates. In 1861 Governor Yates offered Allen the command of the 21st Illinois Infantry Regiment. Allen declined, claiming no military experiences and recommended that the command be offered to

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

. Allen was elected circuit court judge in April 1861 and served until he resigned in 1863 to serve a second term in Congress during the Thirty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1864, losing to

Shelbyville, Illinois Shelbyville is a city in and the county seat of Shelby County, Illinois, United States, along the Kaskaskia River. As of the 2020 census, the population was at 4,674. HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital, located in town, is the county's only hospital. S ...

state legislator Samuel W. Moulton. He returned to Illinois to practice law. He was reelected circuit court judge in 1873 and upon the establishment of the appellate court was appointed its judge, occupying both positions and serving from 1873 to 1879.

Private life

Allen married Ellen Kitchell on January 22, 1845, to Ellen Kitchell, the daughter of Joseph Kitchell. They had three children. Ellen Allen died in May, 1852. In June, 1857, Allen married Julia Kitchell, the daughter of Harvey Kitchell. He had seven more children with his second wife. He moved to

Olney, Illinois Olney ( ) is the county seat in Richland County, Illinois. The population was 9,115 at the time of the 2010 census. History Settlement of the Richland County area began around 1815 when Thaddeus Morehouse, a native of Vermont, arrived by wa ...

, in 1876 and practiced law until he retired in 1907. He died in Olney on January 30, 1912, the day after his 90th birthday, and is buried in Olney Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, James Cameron 1822 births 1912 deaths Clerks of the United States House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Illinois state court judges Judges of the Illinois Appellate Court Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Palestine, Illinois People from Shelby County, Kentucky People from Sullivan, Indiana 19th-century American politicians People from Olney, Illinois 19th-century American judges Members of the United States House of Representatives removed by contest