Ebenezer C. Allen was Secretary of State

Secretary of State

Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....

 and the last Attorney General

Attorney General

In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...

 of the Republic of Texas

Republic of Texas

The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...

. He was also an Attorney General of the State of Texas. He was an early Texas railroad promoter. He died in the service of the South in the U.S. Civil War.

Early life

Allen was born in Newport, New Hampshire

Newport, New Hampshire

Newport is a town in and the county seat of Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. It is west-northwest of Concord. The population was 6,507 at the 2010 census. A covered bridge is in the northwest...

 in 1804 to David and Hannah (Wilcox) Allen.

Legal career and move to Texas

He attended Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...

, graduating in 1826. Allen moved to Orono, Maine

Orono, Maine

Orono is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It was first settled in 1774 and named in honor of Chief Joseph Orono of the Penobscot Nation. It is home to The University of Maine. The population was 10,362 at the 2010 census.- Geography :...

 and married Sylvina Morse in 1833. He practiced law there for a time before he went to Galveston, Texas

Galveston, Texas

Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...

. He arrived during the Texas Revolution

Texas Revolution

The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...

 and practiced law in Galveston.

Official of the Republic of Texas

On Dec 9, 1844 Allen was elected Attorney General of the Republic of Texas. He served under President Anson Jones

Anson Jones

Anson Jones was a doctor, businessman, congressman, the fourth and last President of the Republic of Texas, sometimes called the "Architect of Annexation."- Early life :...

, resigning in July 1845. He then served as acting Secretary of State, during the absence of Ashbel Smith

Ashbel Smith

Ashbel Smith was a pioneer physician, diplomat and official of the Republic of Texas, Confederate officer and first President of the Board of Regents of the University of Texas.-Early life:...

, assisting with the annexation negotiations with the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Government.

Later career

Allen was the primary business leader of the Galveston and Red River Railroad Company  when the State of Texas granted the company a charter in 1848. Later the company changed its name to the Houston and Texas Central Railway in the 1850s and Allen continued to lead the company.

In 1850, Allen was elected Attorney General as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, serving under Governor Peter Hansborough Bell

Peter Hansborough Bell

Peter Hansborough Bell was an American military officer and politician who served as the third Governor of Texas and represented the state for two terms in the United States House of Representatives.-Background:Bell was born March 11, 1810 in Culpeper County, Virginia...

 from 1850 - 1852.

In 1861, with Texas' secession from the United States, Allen entered the service of the Confederate States of America

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

. He died in Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

 in 1863.

Memorials

The city of Allen, Texas

Allen, Texas

Allen is a city in Collin County, Texas, United States, a northern suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 census the city had a total population of 84,246.-Geography:According to the City of Allen, the city has a total area of...

, which was founded when the Houston and Texas Central Railway built a depot there, was named for Ebenezer Allen.