Horace G. Allen

Horace Gwynne Allen (July 27, 1855 – February 12, 1919) was an American lawyer and politician.

Horace G. Allen
President of the Boston Common Council
In office
1889–1890
Preceded byDavid F. Barry
Succeeded byDavid F. Barry
Personal details
BornJuly 27, 1855
Jamaica Plain
DiedFebruary 12, 1919(1919-02-12) (aged 63)
Roxbury
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
SpouseGrace D. Chamberlain (1881–1919; his death)
Alma materHarvard Law School
OccupationAttorney

Early life

Allen was born on July 27, 1855 in Jamaica Plain to Stephen M. and Ann M. Allen.[1] Allen attended Boston public schools and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1876. He was admitted to the Suffolk County, Massachusetts bar on February 5, 1877.[2]

Personal life

In 1881, Allen married Grace Dupee Chamberlain, the only daughter of Fanny and Joshua Chamberlain to survive into adulthood. Allen's father was a lifelong friend of Fanny Chamberlain. Horace and Grace Allen had three daughters, Eleanor, Beatrice, and Rosamund. Grace was crippled following a car accident in 1910.[3]

Political career

In 1888, Allen was elected to the Boston Common Council. In 1889 he was elected council president by a 37 to 36 vote.[4] He was reelected president in 1890.[5] The Democrats had a majority on the council in 1891 and elected a member of their party as president.[6] In 1891, Allen defeated Homer Rogers 144 to 95 at the Republican city convention to win the Republican nomination for Mayor of Boston.[7] He lost the 1891 Boston mayoral election to Democratic incumbent Nathan Matthews Jr. 63% to 36%.[8] Allen considered running in 1892, but withdrew from consideration shortly before the party convention.[9] In 1895 and 1896, Allen served on the Boston Board of Aldermen.[5] In 1896, Allen was appointed to the Boston transit commission by acting governor Roger Wolcott.[10] He remained on the commission until 1918. Allen died on February 12, 1919.[5]

References
  1. Rand, John Clark (1890). One of a Thousand: A Series of Biographical Sketches of One Thousand Representative Men Resident in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, A.D. 1888-'89. First National Publishing Company. p. 14.
  2. Davis, William T. (1895). Bench and Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Boston History Company. p. 252. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  3. Goulka, Jeremiah E., ed. (2005). The Grand Old Man of Maine: Selected Letters of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, 1865-1914.
  4. "It Is Allen: He Has One Majority on an Open Ballot". The Boston Daily Globe. January 12, 1889.
  5. "City Officials and Ex-Officials Deceased in the Past Year". Municipal Register. 1919. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  6. "The Presidency of the Common Council". The Boston Daily Globe. December 20, 1890.
  7. "Horace G. Allen He Is Republican Candidate for Mayor". The Boston Daily Globe. November 18, 1891.
  8. A Catalogue of the City Councils of Boston, 1822–1908, Roxbury, 1846–1867. Boston, Mass. 1909. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  9. "Left In Doubt: Republicans Fail to Make a Nomination". The Boston Daily Globe. November 17, 1892.
  10. "Gets A Plum: Horace G. Allen Stands in the Governor's Favor". The Boston Daily Globe. November 19, 1896.
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