- Samuel Clesson Allen
Samuel Clesson Allen (
January 5 ,1772 –February 8 ,1842 ) was a U.S.politician fromMassachusetts during the first third of the 19th century. He began his career as a member of the Federalist Party, but later became a staunch supporter of Democratic presidentsAndrew Jackson andMartin Van Buren .Allen was born in
Bernardston, Massachusetts and schooled in nearby New Salem. He graduated fromDartmouth College in1794 , and was ordained as a Congregational minister. After serving three years in the pulpit, Allen began to study law, and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in1800 .Allen began his career in politics in
1806 , when he was elected to theMassachusetts House of Representatives . He served in the House until1810 , then served in theMassachusetts Senate from1812 to1815 . A year after leaving the state senate, he was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives , where he sat as a Federalist from1817 to1829 . He was a noted supporter of theJohn Quincy Adams administration.After returning to Massachusetts, Allen became affected by the plight of western Massachusetts farmers and laborers, whose lives were being upended by industrialization. As a result of his observations and concerns, Allen became a vocal supporter of the Massachusetts Workingmen's Party, and was the party's unsuccessful nominee for state governor in
1833 and1834 .Allen died in
Northfield, Massachusetts , and was buried in Bernardston.Legacy
Allen's son,
Elisha Hunt Allen , also served in theUnited States Congress .References and External links
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* Schlesinger, Arthur M, Jr. "The Age of Jackson". Boston : Little, Brown, 1953 [1945] .
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7480719 Samuel Allen] at Find-A-Grave
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