William V. Allen
Encyclopedia
William Vincent Allen was a jurist and twice a U.S. Senator
from Nebraska
.
Allen was born in Midway, Ohio
. He moved with his parents to Iowa
in 1857, where he attended the common schools and Upper Iowa University
at Fayette, Iowa
. He served as a private
with the 32nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
during the Civil War
; he then studied law at West Union, Iowa
and was admitted to the bar
in 1869. Allen practiced in Iowa until 1884, when he moved to Madison, Nebraska
. He served as judge
of the district court of the ninth judicial district of Nebraska from 1891-1893.
Allen was the permanent chairman of the Populist
State conventions in 1892, 1894 and 1896. Allen was elected as a Populist to the United States Senate
by the Nebraska State Legislature and served from March 4, 1893, to March 4, 1899. During his term, he served as the chairman of the Committee on Forest Reservations and Game Protection (Fifty-fourth
and Fifty-fifth Congresses
). Allen championed various bills for public buildings and drought relief along the Missouri River Valley
and authored the bill that would establish the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition
in Omaha, Nebraska
. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1899. After that, he was appointed and subsequently elected judge of the district court of the ninth judicial district of Nebraska and served from March 9, 1899 to December 1899, when he resigned to return to the Senate, because he was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his successor, Monroe L. Hayward. He served from December 13, 1899, to March 28, 1901, when a successor was elected; he was not a candidate for election to the vacancy.
Allen then resumed the practice of law in Madison
, where was again elected judge of the district court of the ninth judicial district of Nebraska in 1917 and served until his death. He died in Los Angeles, California
on January 12, 1924. He was interred in Crown Hill Cemetery at Madison, Nebraska
.
during the 54th Congress. When he returned to the Senate for his second term during the 56th Congress, he was again appointed to this committee, but did not serve as chairman.
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 Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
.
Allen was born in Midway, Ohio
Midway, Ohio
Midway is a village in Range Township, Madison County, Ohio, United States. The population was 274 at the 2000 census.Midway is also called "Sedalia" by some sources...
. He moved with his parents to Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
in 1857, where he attended the common schools and Upper Iowa University
Upper Iowa University
Established in 1857, Upper Iowa University is a private institution of higher education with its residential campus located in northeast Iowa near the Volga River in the rural community of Fayette, where around 900 students are enrolled....
at Fayette, Iowa
Fayette, Iowa
Fayette is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,300. It was named after the Marquis de la Fayette, French hero of the American Revolutionary War. Fayette is the home of Upper Iowa University, a small private college...
. He served as a private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
with the 32nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
32nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 32nd Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 32nd Iowa Infantry was organized at Dubuque, Iowa and mustered in for three years of Federal service on 6 October 1862.The regiment was mustered out on 24...
during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
; he then studied law at West Union, Iowa
West Union, Iowa
West Union is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,549 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fayette County...
and was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1869. Allen practiced in Iowa until 1884, when he moved to Madison, Nebraska
Madison, Nebraska
Madison is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Norfolk, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,367 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. He served as judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of the district court of the ninth judicial district of Nebraska from 1891-1893.
Allen was the permanent chairman of the Populist
Populist Party (United States)
The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891. It was most important in 1892-96, then rapidly faded away...
State conventions in 1892, 1894 and 1896. Allen was elected as a Populist to the United States Senate
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...
by the Nebraska State Legislature and served from March 4, 1893, to March 4, 1899. During his term, he served as the chairman of the Committee on Forest Reservations and Game Protection (Fifty-fourth
54th United States Congress
- House of Representatives :-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Adlai E. Stevenson * President pro tempore: William P. Frye - Majority leadership :* Republican Conference Chairman: John Sherman- Minority leadership :...
and Fifty-fifth Congresses
55th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:* Republican: 206 * Democratic: 124* Populist: 22* Silver Republican: 3* Silver: 1* Independent Republican: 1TOTAL members: 357-Leadership:-Senate:* President: Garret Hobart * President pro tempore: William P...
). Allen championed various bills for public buildings and drought relief along the Missouri River Valley
Missouri River Valley
The Missouri River Valley outlines the journey of the Missouri River from its headwaters where the Madison, Jefferson and Gallatin Rivers flow together in Montana to its confluence with the Mississippi River in the State of Missouri. At long the valley drains one-sixth of the United States, and is...
and authored the bill that would establish the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition
Trans-Mississippi Exposition
The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast. The Indian Congress was held concurrently...
in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1899. After that, he was appointed and subsequently elected judge of the district court of the ninth judicial district of Nebraska and served from March 9, 1899 to December 1899, when he resigned to return to the Senate, because he was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his successor, Monroe L. Hayward. He served from December 13, 1899, to March 28, 1901, when a successor was elected; he was not a candidate for election to the vacancy.
Allen then resumed the practice of law in Madison
Madison, Nebraska
Madison is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Norfolk, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,367 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, where was again elected judge of the district court of the ninth judicial district of Nebraska in 1917 and served until his death. He died in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
on January 12, 1924. He was interred in Crown Hill Cemetery at Madison, Nebraska
Madison, Nebraska
Madison is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Norfolk, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,367 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
.
Committee assignments
At various times during his tenure as a United States Senator, Allen served on 10 standing committees and 3 select or special committees. During his first term in the Senate, he chaired the Select Committee on Forest Reservations, and retained his chairmanship when the committee became the standing Committee on Forest Reservations and the Protection of GameUnited States Senate Committee on Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game
The Senate Committee on Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game is a defunct committee of the United States Senate. It was established on March 19, 1896 and was terminated April 18, 1921, when its functions were transferred to the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry...
during the 54th Congress. When he returned to the Senate for his second term during the 56th Congress, he was again appointed to this committee, but did not serve as chairman.
| Committee | Congresses | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Forest Reservations (Select) Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game United States Senate Committee on Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game The Senate Committee on Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game is a defunct committee of the United States Senate. It was established on March 19, 1896 and was terminated April 18, 1921, when its functions were transferred to the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry... |
53rd 53rd United States Congress The Fifty-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1893 to March 4, 1895, during the fifth and sixth... 54th – 56th |
Chairman (53rd – 55th) Renamed and made a standing committee in the 54th Congress |
| Claims United States Senate Committee on Claims The United States Senate Committee on Claims was among the first standing committees established in the Senate. It dealt generally with issues related to private bills and petitions... |
53rd – 56th | |
| Indian Affairs United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 1947, after which it was folded into the Committee on... |
53rd – 55th | |
| Public Lands | 53rd – 55th | |
| Transportation Routes to the Seaboard United States Senate Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard The United States Senate Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard, was a Senate committee, initially authorized by Senate resolution as a select committee on December 16, 1872... |
54th – 55th | |
| Privileges and Elections United States Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections The Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections was a committee of the United States Senate. It was established March 10, 1871 and terminated January 2, 1947, when its functions were transferred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.-Chairmen:... |
55th | |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 56th | |
| Interstate Commerce | 56th | |
| Pensions | 56th | |
| The Philippines United States Senate Committee on the Philippines The Committee on the Philippines was a standing committee of the United States Senate from 1899 to 1921. The committee was established by Senate resolution on December 15, 1899, to oversee administration of the Philippines, which Spain had ceded to the United States as part of the settlement of the... |
56th | |
| Transportation and Sale of Meat Products (Select) United States Senate Select Committee on the Transportation and Sale of Meat Products The Select Committee on the Transportation and Sale of Meat Products, also known as the Vest Committee, after its first chairman Senator George G. Vest of Missouri, was a select committee of the United States Senate from 1887 – 1921... |
53rd – 55th | |
| Investigate Attempts at Bribery, etc. (Special) | 53rd | |
Further reading
- Hoelscher, David W. "Genuine Populist: William V. Allen in the United States Senate, 1893-1901." M.A. thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 2003.
- 1898 bio w/photo