James Allen (United States)
Encyclopedia
James Browning Allen was a Democratic
U.S. Senator
from Alabama
. Allen was born in Gadsden, Alabama
and attended the University of Alabama
and the University of Alabama Law School. While attending the University of Alabama he was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi
. He practiced law in Gadsden from 1935 to 1968 and was a member of the Alabama State legislature from 1938 to 1942. He resigned from the state legislature to enter active duty in the United States Naval Reserve from 1943 to 1946. He again ran for office after World War II and was a member of the Alabama Senate
from 1946 to 1950. He was the 17th and 20th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama from 1951 to 1955 and again from 1963 to 1967.
In 1968 he was elected as a member of the Democratic Party to the United States Senate and was reelected in 1974. A master of parliamentary procedure, Allen was known as one of the most conservative Democrat
s in the Senate during his time there, more conservative even than many Republicans
at that time. He was an active opponent of the Panama Canal Treaty. Allen received one vote for the Republican vice-presidential nomination at the 1976 Republican National Convention
.
He served until his death in Gulf Shores, Alabama
, on June 1, 1978. He is interred in Forrest Cemetery in Gadsden. Governor George Wallace
of Alabama, under whom Allen served previously as Lt. Governor, appointed Allen's widow, Maryon Pittman Allen
, to succeed him in the Senate.
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...
U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Allen was born in Gadsden, Alabama
Gadsden, Alabama
The city of Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama, and it is located about 65 miles northeast of Birmingham, Alabama. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 103,459. Gadsden is closely associated with the...
and attended the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
and the University of Alabama Law School. While attending the University of Alabama he was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi
Alpha Sigma Phi
Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity is a social fraternity with 71 active chapters and 9 colonies. Founded at Yale in 1845, it is the 10th oldest fraternity in the United States....
. He practiced law in Gadsden from 1935 to 1968 and was a member of the Alabama State legislature from 1938 to 1942. He resigned from the state legislature to enter active duty in the United States Naval Reserve from 1943 to 1946. He again ran for office after World War II and was a member of the Alabama Senate
Alabama Senate
The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state, with each district containing at least 127,140 citizens...
from 1946 to 1950. He was the 17th and 20th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama from 1951 to 1955 and again from 1963 to 1967.
In 1968 he was elected as a member of the Democratic Party to the United States Senate and was reelected in 1974. A master of parliamentary procedure, Allen was known as one of the most conservative Democrat
Conservative Democrat
In American politics, a conservative Democrat is a Democratic Party member with conservative political views, or with views relatively conservative with respect to those of the national party...
s in the Senate during his time there, more conservative even than many Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
at that time. He was an active opponent of the Panama Canal Treaty. Allen received one vote for the Republican vice-presidential nomination at the 1976 Republican National Convention
1976 Republican National Convention
The 1976 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States met at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, from August 16 to August 19, 1976. The convention nominated incumbent Gerald Ford for President, but only after narrowly defeating a strong challenge from former California...
.
He served until his death in Gulf Shores, Alabama
Gulf Shores, Alabama
-External links:*...
, on June 1, 1978. He is interred in Forrest Cemetery in Gadsden. Governor George Wallace
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S...
of Alabama, under whom Allen served previously as Lt. Governor, appointed Allen's widow, Maryon Pittman Allen
Maryon Pittman Allen
Maryon Pittman Allen is a former United States Senator from Alabama.In 1978, she was appointed as a Democrat to the United States Senate by Governor George Wallace, to succeed her late husband, James Allen....
, to succeed him in the Senate.