John E. Allen (June 26, 1873 – July 24, 1945)Judge John E. Allen
, ''The Portsmouth Herald'' (July 25, 1945), p. 2. was a justice of the

New Hampshire Supreme Court The New Hampshire Supreme Court is the supreme court of the U. S. state of New Hampshire and sole appellate court of the state. The Supreme Court is seated in the state capital, Concord. The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and four Associate ...

from 1924 to 1943, serving as chief justice from 1934 to 1943.

Biography

Born in Claremont, New Hampshire, to William H. and Ellen (Joslin) Allen, he received an undergraduate degree from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1894, and a law degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1898. After gaining

admission 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 ...

, Keene entered the practice of law in

Keene, New Hampshire Keene is a city in, and the County seat, seat of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 23,409 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Keene is ho ...

. He "served as an instructor of Dartmouth college, ndas Judge of the probate court for Cheshire county". Allen was appointed to the court in 1924 following the death of Chief Justice

Frank Nesmith Parsons Frank Nesmith Parsons (September 3, 1854 – August 9, 1934) was a lawyer, politician, and Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court from 1902 to 1924. Biography Parsons was born in Dover, New Hampshire on September 3, 1854, the son o ...

, and the elevation of associate justice

Robert J. Peaslee The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

to chief justice. Allen served as "associate justice of the Supreme court, and as chief Justice from 1934 until 1943", In 1935, Allen was also president of the New Hampshire Bar Association. again succeeding Peaslee.

Personal life and death

Allen married Amy L. Abbott. Allen died at

, at the age of 72. Following the death of Allen's wife Amy in 1951, Dartmouth College received a $125,000 bequest from a trust he had established.Dartmouth Left $125,000 by Late NH Jurist
, ''Nashua Telegraph'' (July 5, 1951), p. 8.

References

1873 births 1945 deaths People from Claremont, New Hampshire Dartmouth College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Justices of the New Hampshire Supreme Court {{US-state-judge-stub