William Vincent Allen (January 28, 1847January 12, 1924) was an American jurist and twice a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Early life

Allen was born in

Midway, Ohio Midway (also called Sedalia) is a village in Range Township, Madison County, Ohio, United States. The population was 269 at the 2020 census. Midway is also called "Sedalia" by some sources. Addresses with its ZIP code, 43151, are officially ...

. He moved with his parents to

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

in 1857, where he attended the common schools and

Upper Iowa University Upper Iowa University (UIU) is a private university in Fayette, Iowa. It enrolls around 6000 students and offers distance education programs that include 15 centers in the U.S., an online program, an independent study program, and centers in ...

Fayette, Iowa Fayette is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,256. It was named after the Marquis de la Fayette, French hero of the American Revolutionary War. Fayette is the home of Upper Iowa Univ ...

.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 8 He married Blanche Mott, born in Tidionte, Warren county, Pennsylvania, though most of her life was spent in Iowa. Her parents moved to that state when she was ten years old. Here she was educated, and married at Fayette, Iowa, to Hon. William V. Allen, May 9, 1870. Four children, three daughters (Lulu, Willa and Edith) and one son. He served as a

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with the

32nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 32nd Iowa Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 32nd Iowa Infantry was organized at Camp Franklin, Dubuque, Iowa and mustered in for three years of Federal service ...

during the

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Political and legal career

He then studied law at

West Union, Iowa West Union is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,490 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Fayette County. History Originally called Knob Prairie, the community was founded by William Wells ...

and was admitted to the

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in 1869. Allen practiced in Iowa until 1884 when he moved to

Madison, Nebraska Madison is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,438 at the 2010 census. History Madison was founded in 1867. It was named from Madison County. Madison was designated county seat in 18 ...

. He served as

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the district court of the ninth judicial district of Nebraska from 1891 to 1893. Allen was the permanent chairman of the

Populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

State conventions in 1892, 1894 and 1896. Allen was elected as a Populist to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

by the Nebraska State Legislature and served from March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1899. During his term, he served as the chairman of the Committee on Forest Reservations and Game Protection ( Fifty-fourth and Fifty-fifth Congresses). Allen championed various bills for public buildings and drought relief along the

Missouri River Valley The Missouri River Valley outlines the journey of the Missouri River from its headwaters where the Madison, Jefferson and Gallatin Rivers flow together in Montana to its confluence with the Mississippi River in the State of Missouri. At long the ...

and authored the bill that would establish the 1898

Trans-Mississippi Exposition The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coa ...

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. Allen was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1899. After that, he was appointed and subsequently elected judge of the district court of the ninth judicial district of Nebraska and served from March 9, 1899, to December 1899, when he resigned to return to the Senate, because he was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his successor, Monroe L. Hayward. He served from December 13, 1899, to March 28, 1901, when a successor was elected; he was not a candidate for election to the vacancy. Allen then resumed the practice of law in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, where he was again elected judge of the district court of the ninth judicial district of Nebraska in 1917 and served until his death.

Committee assignments

At various times during his tenure as a United States Senator, Allen served on 10

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

s and 3 select or special committees. During his first term in the Senate, he chaired the Select Committee on Forest Reservations, and retained his chairmanship when the committee became the standing Committee on Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game during the

54th Congress The 54th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1895, ...

. When he returned to the Senate for his second term during the

56th Congress The 56th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1899, ...

, he was again appointed to this committee, but did not serve as chairman.Official Congressional Directory. 56th Congress, 1st session. 2nd edition. Page 134 (1900)

Death

He died in

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on January 12, 1924, and was interred in Crown Hill Cemetery at

Works

"Necessity of the People's Party,"
''The Arena,'' vol. 30, no. 4 (Oct. 1903), pp. 410–414.

References

;Other sources used * ''American National Biography'' * ''Dictionary of American Biography'' * at the

Nebraska State Historical Society History Nebraska, formerly the Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information ... and to embrace alike aboriginal and modern history." I ...

* Coletta, Paolo E. "A Tempest in a Teapot? Governor Poynter's Appointment of William V. Allen to the United States Senate." ''Nebraska History,'' vol. 38 (June 1957), pp. 155–163. * Hoelscher, David W. "Genuine Populist: William V. Allen in the United States Senate, 1893-1901." M.A. thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 2003.

External links

1898 bio w/photo
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, William Vincent 1847 births 1924 deaths People from Madison County, Ohio People's Party United States senators from Nebraska Nebraska Populists Upper Iowa University alumni Nebraska state court judges People from West Union, Iowa People from Madison, Nebraska