George Allen (American politician)

George Felix Allen (born March 8, 1952) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 67th governor of Virginia from 1994 to 1998 and as a United States senator from Virginia from 2001 to 2007.

The son of National Football League head coach George Allen, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1983 to 1991, resigning after he won a special election for Virginia's 7th congressional district in November 1991. After his district was eliminated during redistricting, he declined to run for a full term in 1992, instead running for Governor of Virginia in the 1993 election. He defeated Democratic Attorney General of Virginia Mary Sue Terry by 58.3% against 40.9%.

Barred by term limits from seeking reelection to a second term in 1997, he worked in the private sector until the 2000 election in which he ran for the United States Senate, defeating two-term Democratic incumbent Chuck Robb. Allen ran for reelection in the 2006 election, but after a close and controversial race, he was defeated by Democratic former U.S. Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb. When Webb decided to retire, Allen ran for his old seat again in the 2012 election but was defeated again, this time by Democratic former Governor Tim Kaine. Allen now serves on the Reagan Ranch Board of Governors of Young America's Foundation, where he is a Reagan Ranch Presidential Scholar.

Early life, education and early career (1952–1982)

Allen was born in Whittier, California on March 8, 1952. Allen's father, George Herbert Allen, was a National Football League (NFL) coach who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. During the 2006 senatorial campaign, it was revealed that Allen's mother, Henrietta Lumbroso, was born to Sephardic Jewish parents in Tunisia. In a 2006 debate, Allen referred to his mother as being "French-Italian, with a little Spanish blood in her."
He has a younger sister, Jennifer, an author and correspondent for NFL Network, and two brothers, including Bruce Allen, a former NFL team executive. He and his family lived there until 1957. They moved to the suburbs of Chicago after George Sr. was hired with the Chicago Bears. Then, the family moved back to Palos Verdes in Southern California after Allen's father was named head coach of the Los Angeles Rams in 1966.

Allen graduated in 1970 from Palos Verdes High School, where he was a member of the falconry club and the car club. He was also quarterback of the varsity football team. He then attended the University of California, Los Angeles, for a year. His father had in the meantime taken over the head coaching duties with the Washington Redskins in 1970 and the younger Allen transferred to the University of Virginia, in 1971, where he received a B.A. degree with distinction in history in 1974. He was class president in his fourth year at UVA, and played on the UVA football and rugby teams.

After graduating, Allen completed a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1977. In 1976, he was the chairman of the "Young Virginians for Ronald Reagan". Out of law school, he served as a law clerk for Judge Glen Morgan Williams of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

Virginia House of Delegates (1982–1991)

Elections

Allen's first race for the Virginia House of Delegates was in 1979, two years after he graduated from law school. He ran in the 26th House District which was then composed of two seats. He placed third in a field of four candidates.

He ran again in 1982 for the House in the 58th House District and won the election, defeating incumbent Democrat James B. Murray, whose previous 24th House District was eliminated after redistricting, by 25 votes out of nearly 14,000 cast. He faced Murray again in a 1983 rematch, defeating him 53%–47%. He ran unopposed in 1985, 1987, and 1989. The seat he held was the same one held by Thomas Jefferson.

Tenure

He was a delegate from 1983 to 1991, representing parts of Albemarle and Nelson counties near Charlottesville.

Allen was a strong advocate for the death penalty, and actively supported expanding it in Virginia. For several years in a row, Allen introduced a bill that would add murder in commission of an attempted robbery to the list of capital crimes. Each year, the bill died in the House Courts of Justice Committee. Allen would continue to collect newspaper clippings for his file and followed every murder in the state.

Allen supported a statewide referendum on whether or not to create a state lottery system. In 1986, he proposed a referendum that would allow assets of illegal drug dealers to go to law enforcement.

Committee assignments

* House Courts of Justice Committee
* House General Laws Committee
* House Health Welfare and Institutions Committee
* House Militia and Police Committee
* House Mining and Mineral Resources Committee

Caucus memberships

* Regional Party Whip
* House Legislative Caucus

U.S. House of Representatives (1991–1993)

Elections

1991

Incumbent Republican U.S. Representative D. French Slaughter, Jr., of Virginia's 7th congressional district, decided to resign because of a series of strokes. Allen faced Slaughter's cousin, Kay Slaughter, who was also a Charlottesville City Councilor. Allen defeated her 64%–36%.

1992

In the 1990s round of redistricting, Allen's district, which stretched from the fringes of the Washington suburbs through the outer portions of the Shenandoah Valley to Charlottesville, was eliminated, even though Virginia gained an 11th district as a result of the 1990 U.S. Census. The Justice Department had mandated Virginia create a new black-majority district in accordance with the Voting Rights Act. The Democratic-controlled legislature decided to dismantle the 7th and split it between three neighboring districts.

Allen's home in Earlysville, near Charlottesville, was placed in the 5th district, represented by Lewis F. Payne, Jr. However, the largest slice of his old district was placed in the newly redrawn 10th district, represented by fellow Republican Frank Wolf. Allen moved to Mount Vernon and prepared to challenge Wolf in a primary. However, state Republican leaders had let it be known that he could not expect any support for his planned run for the governorship in 1993 if he made such a challenge. Allen decided not to run in either district. After Democratic U.S. Representative James Olin of the 6th district decided to retire, there was speculation Allen could run there. He decided not to move his family and run in the 6th district either.

Committee assignments

* United States House Committee on Small Business
* United States House Committee on Science
* United States House Committee on the Judiciary

Governor of Virginia (1994–1998)

In November 1993, Allen was elected the 67th Governor of Virginia, serving from 1994 to 1998. His opponent in the 1993 election, Attorney General Mary Sue Terry, had an early 29-point lead in public opinion polls and a million-dollar fundraising advantage; his other opponent was Independent Nancy B. Spannaus. However, Allen's campaign proposal to abolish parole may have resonated during a surge of crime in the state. More importantly, he was running at the start of what would become the 1994 Republican Revolution. Allen overcame the deficit and won with 58.3% of the vote, the largest margin (+17.4 points) since Albertis S. Harrison Jr. defeated H. Clyde Pearson with a margin of +27.7 points in 1961.

Allen could not run for re-election because Virginia's constitution does not allow a governor to succeed himself; Virginia is the only state that has such a provision.

Welfare reform

During his 1993 campaign for governor, Allen vowed to reform Virginia's welfare system, stating that "Our obligation as a society is to provide a hand up to those in need, rather than a handout ... Welfare is not to be a permanent status for anyone in life."Harris, John F
"Allen Urges VA Welfare Restrictions; Plan Would Require Job, Two-Year Cutoff"
Washington Post", August 17, 1993 At the time welfare caseloads climbed 36 percent from 1988 while one out of twelve Virginians were receiving food stamps.Piper, Laura
"Virginia As A Model for Other State Welfare Plans,"
Welfare Reform: A New Deal for the 1990s. Retrieved January 24, 2011, Vol 1. Spring 1997 Number 2 In March 1995, after an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of support, Allen signed his welfare reform bill propelling Virginia ahead of the national welfare reform effort,Taylor, Leslie
"Welfare Reform Arrives"
"The Roanoke Time", March 16, 1994Cain, Andrew
"Last-minute Deal Brings Virginia Welfare Reform"
"The Washington Times", p. A01 Retrieved June 30, 2010 Among the key provisions outlined in the bill, the Virginia Initiative for Employment Not Welfare (VIEW) limited Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits for welfare recipients to two years while recipients are required to work within ninety days of receiving benefits. Following VIEW's implementation, welfare caseloads decreased 33 percent, from 73,926 families in March 1995 to 49,609 families in July 1997.Report of the Department of Social Services
"Making Welfare Work: Virginia's Transformation From Dependency to Opportunity"
/ref> In areas where VIEW existed for twelve months, 74 percent were employed versus only 31 percent nationally,. According to the Virginia Department of Health and Human Resource's 1996 annual report, VIEW saved taxpayers 24 million dollar in its first year of existence; with an addition to federal welfare money, the savings total over the following two years comes to just over $70 million

The Allen Administration's welfare reform law also addressed concerns over single-parent recipients of welfare requiring mothers to name the child's father and provide three additional pieces of information to help locate the non-custodial parent or face loss of all TANF benefits. Since 1995, Virginia has achieved a 98.5 percent rate of paternity identification, the highest in the country. By removing the incentive to break up families, the Allen welfare reform allowed two parent households the same time to receive benefits as single parents. Because this law reversed the incentive of being a single parent TANF cases represented by two parent households increased by over 180 percent.Report of the Department of Social Service
"Making Welfare Work: Virginia's Transformation From Dependency to Opportunity", June 30, 2010
/ref>

Truth-in-sentencing

In November 1993, Allen's campaign promise to abolish parole for those convicted of a felony helped drive him to a landslide victory after trailing from a 33 percent point deficit in the polls to Democrat Mary Sue Terry,Gemma Jr., Peter B.

, "USA Today, pg A10, Retrieved July 8, 2010[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=VP&p_theme=vp&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=Parole%20Abolition%20Passes;%20Get%20On%20With%20It&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=1994&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=%28Parole%20Abolition%20Passes;%20Get%20On%20With%20It%29&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no "Parole Abolition Passes: Get On With It"], "The Virginian-Pilot, pg. A14. Retrieved July 3, 2010

Truth-in-sentencing (TIS) and abolition of parole were ultimately passed in a Special Session of the General Assembly with the House voting 89–7 and the Senate voting 34–4 in favor of the measure. On January 1, 1995, Allen's central campaign promise became a reality when TIS and abolition of parole went into effect.Ostrom, Brian J.
"PDF – Truth-in-Sentencing in Virginia"
Report Prepared for the National Institute of Justice, April 5, 2001"Parole Abolition Passes; Get On With It"
"The Virginian-Pilot., pg. A14, Retrieved July 3, 2010 According to the law, prison sentences increased for offenders without prior convictions for violent crimes by 125 percent, 300 percent for those with a prior felony conviction that originally had a maximum penalty of less than 40 years, and 500 percent for those with a felony conviction of a violent crime that originally had a minimum penalty of more than 40 years. Between 1994 and 1995, statistics show on average that first degree murders with violent records went from serving 15 years to 46 years.Shear, Michael D.

The Washington Post", p. B04, Retrieved July 7, 2010

In 1993, nearly half of all offenders released from prison were re-arrested for a new crime within 3 years. TIS ensured that inmates serve a minimum of 85 percent of their sentence. As a result of TIS, first degree murderers went from serving 29 percent of imposed sentence to 91 percent,.Fogle, Adam
"Allen: Abolishing parole worked in Virginia, would work in SC"
, "The Palmetto Scoop", April 7, 2008 While parole was eliminated for those convicted of a felony after January 1, 1995, parole remained in effect for individuals incarcerated prior to TIS reform resulting in a rapid decline in the parole grant rate from 46 percent in 1991 to 5 percent in 1998.

Standards of learning

In June 1995, the Virginia Board of Education adopted Governor Allen's Commission on Champion Schools recommendation for statewide standardized tests for academic accountability. The Board of Education voted in favor of implementing the Standards of Learning (SOLs) which measures student achievements and ensures accountability for schools in the core subjects of English, mathematics, history, economics, and science.Brenda Lawso
“Chapter 1 Introduction to the Study”
July 12, 2010Joel Himelfarb
“Policy Review”
, "Hoover Publications", July 29, 2010 The commission also recommended the creation of an annual 'report card' to grade each public school's performance stating that: "If Virginia's youngsters can't make the grade, then neither should their schools"“Making The Grade”
''Richmond Times Dispatch'', February 26, 1997William Michael Paul
“Champion School Commission Adopts Many Choice Proposals”
"Richmond Times Dispatch", December 9, 1995 (2)(9). Experts suggested that in order to improve the quality of learning, a school should emphasize academic goals and effective leadership. By using measurement through tests, the state, teachers, and parents can monitor the effectiveness of schools teaching the basic fundamental subjects (1). Allen's legislation used public data of SOLs test scores along with school attendance and drop-out rates to ensure that unsatisfactory schools are accountable by the threat of state takeover through court action.

Initially, Allen succeeded in keeping Virginia's educational reform independent from federal funding by using a line-item veto in the state's budget, a power granted to Virginia governors.Ann Bradley

Education Week", July 21, 2010 Allen argued that federal funding would force the Commonwealth to adhere to federal regulation, therefore, restricting the freedom of Virginia to craft its own high academic standards education plan. “Remarks of Governor George Allen to the Heritage Foundation”
The Heritage Foundation", December 9, 1998 Despite Allen's efforts to keep Virginia independent from federal education funds, the Virginia Board of Education applied for federal funds through the program Goals 2000.Spencer S. Hs

''The Washington Post'' pg B07

During Allen's tenure as governor, the American Federation of Teachers rated the SOLs "exemplary" in the four core subjects.Christie Mar
“Allen's Legacy; a GOP Insider Offers An Unabashed Hosanna To A Leader Whose Works Set A Mark; For Effective Government.”
The Virginian-Pilot, January 18, 1998

Virginia water toxin cover-up

In 1994, Allen's administration eliminated Virginia's water toxins monitoring program. The Virginia Toxics Database, which was maintained by the program and contained important baseline toxicity levels for Virginia waters, was locked away in a safe during Allen's term as governor. Scientists and government agencies were denied access to the data by Allen's Department of Environment Quality. Reporting by '' The Roanoke Times'' spurred Virginia legislators to call for an investigation by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. The 1999 investigation found that documents from the database were destroyed and that the concealed data included information on high levels of PCBs in Virginia waterways, including the Rappahannock River. A report by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation found that the DEQ had withheld knowledge of high mercury concentrations in the Shenandoah River.

"Disney's America" Controversy

In 1993, The Walt Disney Company announced their plans to build a U.S. history-inspired theme park called "Disney's America" in Prince William County, Virginia. Allen was a vocal supporter of the park, citing all the new jobs that would be created if the park was constructed. The announcement of the park, however, sparked backlash from both historians and the public. There were fears that Disney would not be truthful in its telling of U.S. history and would resort to a harmful promotion of American exceptionalism

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