Charles Herbert Allen
Encyclopedia
Charles Herbert Allen was an American politician and businessman. His positions included serving in the United States House of Representatives
and as governor of Puerto Rico
.
to Otis and Louisa (Bixby) Allen and died at his Rolfe Street home "The Terraces" in Lowell and is buried in Lowell Cemetery
. The home still stands known as Allen House
on the South Campus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell
, which became the Chancellors office under Marty Meehan
s tenure as chancellor.
One of Lowell's foremost citizens, Allen had a very active business and political career as well as being an artist, musician, and cabinet-maker. He attended public and private schools and, after graduating from Amherst College
in 1869, Allen engaged in the manufacture of wooden boxes and in the lumber business at his father's company, Otis Allen and Son. Later he became a trustee of Amherst College
and was honored with an LL.D. degree in 1900.
in 1881 and 1882; one term in the Massachusetts Senate
in 1883; and elected as a Republican to the Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Congresses
, March 4, 1885 to March 3, 1889. Allen was nominated for governor
by the Republicans in 1890 but was defeated by William E. Russell
.
In 1884, he received the title "Colonel," when Governor George Dexter Robinson appointed him to his personal staff. Allen's large circle of friends always used this designation when addressing him. He also served as Massachusetts Prison Commissioner from 1897 to 1898.
In 1898 President William McKinley
named Allen Assistant Secretary of the Navy when Theodore Roosevelt
resigned the post to enter the Spanish-American War
. He held this position from 1898 to 1900. At the end of the war President McKinley appointed Allen as the first civilian governor of Puerto Rico
. Allen retired from this post in 1902 with the island government out of debt and with over one million dollars in its treasury.
.
in 1870 and together they raised two daughters, Bertha and Louise. Bertha Allen later married naval officer George W. Logan in 1900 at the Palace (residence) of Governor Charles Allen, Puerto Rico. Louise Allen (1875–1953), a sculptor of portraits, garden and idealistic pieces, she studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. She was a member of many prestigious societies including the Copley Society of Boston and the National Sculpture Society. She completed a World War Memorial in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, and a memorial tablet for Bancroft Hall in Annapolis, Maryland. Louise married Alexander F. Hobbs in 1898 at the "Allen House" in Lowell, they had one son; Allen Hobbs
, the 32nd Governor of American Samoa. She divorced Hobbs and married artist Albert Henry Atkins (1899–1951).
Involved in a variety of interests. As a painter, twenty-seven landscape and marine paintings are in the Allen Collection of the Whistler House Museum of Art
in Lowell. As a passionate garden, the grounds of Allen and his wife's home "The Terraces" flourished with gardens, fountains, a pergola, and a large gazebo which can be seen in the University of Maasachusetts Lowell, Center for Lowell History, Allen House Collection donated by Walter E. Hayes, groundskeeper.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and as governor of Puerto Rico
Governor of Puerto Rico
The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
.
Early life
Allen was born in Lowell, MassachusettsLowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
to Otis and Louisa (Bixby) Allen and died at his Rolfe Street home "The Terraces" in Lowell and is buried in Lowell Cemetery
Lowell Cemetery
Lowell Cemetery is a cemetery located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Founded in 1841 and located on the banks of the Concord River, the cemetery is one of the oldest garden cemeteries in the nation, inspired by Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
. The home still stands known as Allen House
Allen House (Lowell, Massachusetts)
Allen House is an Italianate house at 2 Solomont Way in Lowell, Massachusetts. It was built in 1854, and listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It is associated with Charles Herbert Allen, the first civilian US governor of Puerto Rico. Although it was listed at 57 Rolfe...
on the South Campus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell
University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
, which became the Chancellors office under Marty Meehan
Marty Meehan
Martin Thomas "Marty" Meehan is an American attorney and politician from the state of Massachusetts. He is the current Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, a position he assumed on July 1, 2007...
s tenure as chancellor.
One of Lowell's foremost citizens, Allen had a very active business and political career as well as being an artist, musician, and cabinet-maker. He attended public and private schools and, after graduating from Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in 1869, Allen engaged in the manufacture of wooden boxes and in the lumber business at his father's company, Otis Allen and Son. Later he became a trustee of Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
and was honored with an LL.D. degree in 1900.
Political career
Allen's political career encompassed the Lowell School Committee, where he was instrumental in starting the Lowell Evening Schools; two terms in the Massachusetts House of RepresentativesMassachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
in 1881 and 1882; one term in the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
in 1883; and elected as a Republican to the Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Congresses
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, March 4, 1885 to March 3, 1889. Allen was nominated for governor
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
by the Republicans in 1890 but was defeated by William E. Russell
William Russell (governor)
William Eustis Russell was a U.S. political figure. He served as the 37th Governor of Massachusetts between 1891 and 1894, becoming the state's youngest ever elected Governor at age 34.-Family:...
.
In 1884, he received the title "Colonel," when Governor George Dexter Robinson appointed him to his personal staff. Allen's large circle of friends always used this designation when addressing him. He also served as Massachusetts Prison Commissioner from 1897 to 1898.
In 1898 President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
named Allen Assistant Secretary of the Navy when Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
resigned the post to enter the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. He held this position from 1898 to 1900. At the end of the war President McKinley appointed Allen as the first civilian governor of Puerto Rico
Governor of Puerto Rico
The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
. Allen retired from this post in 1902 with the island government out of debt and with over one million dollars in its treasury.
Life after Politics
Upon his return home to Lowell, he became financially interested in banking and other enterprises and served on the board of directors for several banks and businesses in Lowell and New York. Allen served as vice president of the Morton Trust Company and of the Guaranty Trust Company of New York and as president of the American Sugar Refining CompanyAmerican Sugar Refining Company
The American Sugar Refining Company was the largest American business unit in the sugar refining industry in the early 1900s.-Establishment:...
.
Private life
Allen married Harriet C. Dean of Manchester, New HampshireManchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
in 1870 and together they raised two daughters, Bertha and Louise. Bertha Allen later married naval officer George W. Logan in 1900 at the Palace (residence) of Governor Charles Allen, Puerto Rico. Louise Allen (1875–1953), a sculptor of portraits, garden and idealistic pieces, she studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. She was a member of many prestigious societies including the Copley Society of Boston and the National Sculpture Society. She completed a World War Memorial in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, and a memorial tablet for Bancroft Hall in Annapolis, Maryland. Louise married Alexander F. Hobbs in 1898 at the "Allen House" in Lowell, they had one son; Allen Hobbs
Allen Hobbs
Allen Hobbs was the 32nd Governor of American Samoa from February 8, 1944 to January 27, 1945. Hobbs was born on July 30, 1899 in Lowell, Massachusetts. His mother was a sculptor named Louise Allen Atkins, and his grandfather Charles Herbert Allen, the first American Governor of Puerto Rico...
, the 32nd Governor of American Samoa. She divorced Hobbs and married artist Albert Henry Atkins (1899–1951).
Involved in a variety of interests. As a painter, twenty-seven landscape and marine paintings are in the Allen Collection of the Whistler House Museum of Art
Whistler House Museum of Art
The Whistler House Museum of Art is the birthplace of painter and etcher James McNeill Whistler. It is located at 243 Worthen Street, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA, and is open as a museum displaying works from the Museum collection and shows by artist members....
in Lowell. As a passionate garden, the grounds of Allen and his wife's home "The Terraces" flourished with gardens, fountains, a pergola, and a large gazebo which can be seen in the University of Maasachusetts Lowell, Center for Lowell History, Allen House Collection donated by Walter E. Hayes, groundskeeper.
External links
- Charles Herbert Allen at Find-A-Grave