John Allison (August 5, 1812 – March 23, 1878) was an American politician, most notably serving in the

U.S. House 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 ...

as a Representative of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

during the 1850s. Allison was born in

Beaver, Pennsylvania Beaver is a borough in and the county seat of Beaver County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located at the confluence of the Beaver and Ohio Rivers, approximately northwest of Pittsburgh. As of the 2020 census, the borough popula ...

and grew up to study law. He was the son of James Allison, Jr. He was admitted to the bar, but did not practice, instead establishing a hat factory. He served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1846, 1847, and 1849; he ran successfully for the U.S. House as a Whig in the 1850 election. He lost his bid for re-election in 1852, but won back the seat in 1854 as an Oppositionist. He then retired from the House in 1856. After retiring from the House, he was active in the politics of the nascent Republican Party; he served as a delegate to their 1856 convention, where he nominated

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

for

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

. On April 3, 1869, Allison was appointed Register of the U.S. Treasury, a post he held until his death. He was interred in Beaver Cemetery.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
1812 births 1878 deaths People from Beaver, Pennsylvania Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Republicans Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 19th-century American legislators {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub