John William Allen
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John William Allen (August 24, 1802October 5, 1887) was an American lawyer and politician from Ohio. He served two terms in the
United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
from 1837 to 1841 and also served as the fourth
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
.


Early life and career

John W. Allen was born in
Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town. There are also three unincorporat ...
in 1802. He was the son of Representative John Allen. He attended preparatory schools and moved to
Chenango County, New York Chenango County is a County (United States), county located in the south-central section U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich, New York ...
in 1818. He received a classical education and studied law. Allen moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1825, and studied law under judge Samuel Cowles and became a leader of the bar. He was president of the village from 1831 to 1835, a member of the board of directors of the Commercial Bank of Lake Erie in 1832, and one of the incorporators of the Cleveland and Newburgh Railroad Company in 1834.


Congress

Allen was an organizer of the Ohio Railroad in 1836, and served in the
Ohio State Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...
1836–37. He was elected to the 25th and 26th Congresses as a Whig, and served March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1841. He was elected Mayor of Cleveland in 1841.


Later career and death

In 1845, Allen was elected president of the
Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad The Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad (CC&C) was a railroad that ran from Cleveland to Columbus in the U.S. state of Ohio in the United States. Chartered in 1836, it was moribund for the first 10 years of its existence. Its charter was ...
, and was a delegate to the first convention on river and harbor improvement, held in Chicago in 1847. When the Whig party dissolved in the 1850s, he joined with the
Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
. He was appointed postmaster of Cleveland April 4, 1870, by President
Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...
, and was re-appointed in 1874, serving until he resigned January 11, 1875. He died in Cleveland on October 5, 1887, and was interred at
Erie Street Cemetery Erie Street Cemetery is a historic cemetery in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It is the city's oldest existing cemetery. History The cemetery was established in 1826 at what was then the edge of the city, taking its name from East 9th Street's origin ...
.


See also

*
List of railroad executives This is a list of railroad executives, defined as those who are presidents and chief executive officers of railroad and railway systems worldwide. A * Abbot, Edwin H. (1834–1927), WC −1890 * Adams, Charles Francis, Jr. (1835–1915), ...


References


External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, John W. Mayors of Cleveland Republican Party Ohio state senators Politicians from Litchfield, Connecticut 1802 births 1887 deaths 19th-century American railroad executives Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century American politicians Burials at Erie Street Cemetery