Charles Herbert Allen
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2012) |
| Charles Herbert Allen | |
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| 1st appointed U.S. civil governor Governor of Puerto Rico | |
| In office 1900–1901 |
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| Preceded by | George Whitefield Davis |
| Succeeded by | William Henry Hunt |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 8th district |
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| In office March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889 |
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| Preceded by | William A. Russell |
| Succeeded by | Frederic T. Greenhalge |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 15, 1848 Lowell, Massachusetts |
| Died | April 20, 1934 (aged 86) Lowell, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Republican |
Charles Herbert Allen (April 15, 1848 – April 20, 1934) was an American politician and businessman. His positions included serving in the Massachusetts state legislature and senate, and in the United States House of Representatives. He was the first United States-appointed civilian governor of Puerto Rico after the US acquired it following the Spanish-American War, and previously had served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President William McKinley.
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Early life [edit]
Allen was born in Lowell, Massachusetts to Otis and Louisa (Bixby) Allen. He attended public and private schools. He did his undergraduate work at Amherst College, where he graduated in 1869. Through his life he painted, played music, and made cabinets.[citation needed]
He engaged in the manufacture of wooden boxes and in the lumber business at his father's company, Otis Allen and Son.[citation needed]
Political career [edit]
Allen served two terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1881 and 1882; one term in the Massachusetts Senate in 1883; and was elected as a Republican to the Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Congresses, March 4, 1885 to March 3, 1889.[citation needed] In 1890, Allen was nominated for governor of Massachusetts by the Republicans, but was defeated by William E. Russell.[citation needed]
In 1884, he received the title "Colonel," when Governor George Dexter Robinson appointed him to his personal staff.[citation needed] He also served as the Massachusetts Prison Commissioner from 1897 to 1898.[citation needed]
In 1898 President William McKinley named Allen as 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.[citation needed]
Governor of Puerto Rico [edit]
When the war ended, President McKinley appointed Allen as the first civilian governor of Puerto Rico. Though Allen had a business background, his financial administration of Puerto Rico was strikingly unsound. The revenue for the island's government was raised internally, from Puerto Rico's own resources, mostly from tariffs, sales taxes and property taxes. During Allen's tenure this annual budget equaled the 4.4 million pesos the Spanish had spent in 1897, but without expenses for a five-thousand man garrison or the former contributions to the Catholic church.[1]
Due to this reduced overhead, the island should have had a substantial budget surplus - but by ignoring the appropriation requests of the Puerto Rican House of Delegates, refusing to make any municipal, agricultural or small business loans, building roads at double the old costs, and leaving 85% of the school-age population without schools, the Allen administration re-directed the insular budget to no-bid contracts for U.S. businessmen, and high salaries to U.S. bureaucrats in the island government.[2][3]
By the time Allen left in 1901, nearly all of the governor's 11-member Executive Council were U.S. expatriates, and half the appointive offices in the government of Puerto Rico had been given to visiting Americans, 626 of them at top salaries.[4][5]
Life after politics [edit]
Allen's financial acumen returned, when he resumed his own business interests in the U.S. In 1901, immediately after his governorship, Allen installed himself (or was elected by shareholders) as president of the largest sugar-refining company in the world, the American Sugar Refining Company. This company was later renamed as the Domino Sugar company. The hundreds of highly paid U.S. bureaucrats whom Allen had appointed into the Puerto Rican government, were extremely helpful to ex-Governor Allen and his sugarcane business. In effect, Charles Allen leveraged his governorship of Puerto Rico into a controlling interest over the entire Puerto Rican economy.[6]
In addition to his sugarcane business, upon his return home to Lowell, Allen developed financial interests in banking and other enterprises.[citation needed] He served on the board of directors for several banks and businesses in Lowell and New York. Allen also served as vice president of the Morton Trust Company and of the Guaranty Trust Company of New York.[citation needed]
Though not a lawyer, Allen was bestowed an LL.D. degree by Amherst College in 1900.[citation needed]
Private life [edit]
As governor of Puerto Rico, and beneficiary of a sugar empire, Allen pursued a variety of leisurely interests. He was an avid painter, and completed twenty-seven landscape and marine paintings which are held in the Allen Collection of the Whistler House Museum of Art in Lowell.[citation needed] As a gardener, he ensured that the grounds of his home, "The Terraces," flourished with gardens, fountains, a pergola, and a large gazebo. The latter can be seen in the University of Massachusetts Center for Lowell History, Allen House Collection. It was donated by Walter E. Hayes, groundskeeper.[citation needed]
Allen married Harriet C. Dean of Manchester, New Hampshire in 1870, and they lived in Lowell on Rolfe Street, at a house they called "The Terraces." They raised two daughters, Bertha and Louise. Bertha Allen married the naval officer George W. Logan in 1900. She had a splendid wedding at the Palace (residence) of her father, then governor of Puerto Rico.[citation needed] The second daughter, Louise Allen (1875–1953), became a sculptor and a member of many artistic societies. Her son, Allen Hobbs, became the 32nd Governor of American Samoa.[citation needed]
Charles Herbert Allen died in Lowell and is buried in Lowell Cemetery.[citation needed]
Legacy and honors [edit]
The Terraces still stands, now called Allen House. It is within the boundaries of the South Campus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The house was used as the Chancellor's office under Marty Meehans tenure.[citation needed]
References [edit]
- ^ Thomas Aitken, Jr.; Luis Munoz Marin: Poet in the Fortress, pp. 60-61; Signet Books/New American Library, 1965
- ^ Thomas Aitken, Jr.; Luis Munoz Marin: Poet in the Fortress, pp. 60-61; Signet Books/New American Library, 1965
- ^ Manuel Maldonado-Denis; Puerto Rico: A Socio-Historic Interpretation, pp. 70-76; Random House, 1972
- ^ Thomas Aitken, Jr.; Luis Munoz Marin: Poet in the Fortress, pp. 60-61; Signet Books/New American Library, 1965
- ^ Manuel Maldonado-Denis; Puerto Rico: A Socio-Historic Interpretation, pp. 70-76; Random House, 1972
- ^ Federico Ribes Tovar; Albizu Campos: Puerto Rican Revolutionary, pp. 197-204; Plus Ultra Publishers, 1971
General Sources [edit]
- Davenport's Art Reference 2001/2002, page 73; Courier Citizen, April 21, 1934;
- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress;
- Whistler House Museum of Art files.
External links [edit]
- Charles Herbert Allen at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Charles Herbert Allen at Find-A-Grave
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William A. Russell |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 8th congressional district March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889 |
Succeeded by Frederic T. Greenhalge |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Theodore Roosevelt |
Assistant Secretary of the Navy May 11, 1898 – April 21, 1900 |
Succeeded by Frank W. Hackett |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by George Whitefield Davis |
Governor of Puerto Rico 1900-1901 |
Succeeded by William Henry Hunt |
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