James Allen (U.S. senator)
| James Browning Allen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| United States Senator from Alabama |
|
| In office January 3, 1969 – June 1, 1978 |
|
| Preceded by | J. Lister Hill |
| Succeeded by | Maryon Pittman Allen |
| 17th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama | |
| In office January 15, 1951 – January 17, 1955 |
|
| Governor | Gordon Persons |
| Preceded by | James C. Inzer |
| Succeeded by | William G. Hardwick |
| 20th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama | |
| In office January 14, 1963 – January 16, 1967 |
|
| Governor | George Wallace |
| Preceded by | Albert B. Boutwell |
| Succeeded by | Albert Brewer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 28, 1912 Gadsden, Alabama |
| Died | June 1, 1978 (aged 65) Gulf Shores, Alabama |
| Resting place | Forrest Cemetery in Gadsden, Alabama |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Marjorie Stephens (her death) |
| Alma mater | University of Alabama |
| Religion | Church of Christ |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Unit | Reserves |
James Browning Allen (December 28, 1912 – June 1, 1978) was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Gadsden, Alabama.
The Gadsden native attended the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama School of Law, both located in Tuscaloosa. At 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 House of Representatives 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.[1]
In 1968, Allen was elected to succeed the retiring Democratic U.S. Senator J. Lister Hill of Montgomery. Allen won more than three-fourths of the votes cast over his Republican opponent, Perry O. Hooper, Sr., also of Montgomery, later a chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.
Like his Republican Senate colleague, Jesse Helms of North Carolina, Allen was a master of parliamentary procedure. He was considered to have revived the filibuster rule during his nearly nine years as a senator.[2] Allen was known as one of the most conservative Democrats in the chamber, more conservative even than many Republicans at that time. He was an active opponent of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1978. Allen received one vote for the Republican vice-presidential nomination at the 1976 Republican National Convention.[3][4]
He served in the Senate until his death of a heart attack on June 1, 1978, at the resort community of Gulf Shores, Alabama. He is interred at Forrest Cemetery in Gadsden. Governor George C. Wallace, under whom Allen served previously as lieutenant governor, appointed Allen's widow, Maryon Pittman Allen, to succeed him in the Senate. Mrs. Allen failed in 1978 to win the Democratic nomination to finish the two years remaining in her husband's term. Instead Democratic State Senator Donald W. Stewart of Anniston won the position over the veteran Republican candidate, former U.S. Representative James D. Martin, also from Allen's native city of Gadsden.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ James Allen, Lieutenant Governors of Alabama
- ^ "Allen's Widow is Named to Senate", New York Times, June 9, 1978, http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=FA0B14FE3B5513728DDDA00894DE405B888BF1D3
- ^ "US Vice President - R Convention". Our Campaigns. http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=59886&ShowAllCand=Y. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ UPI (August 20, 1976). "...Alabama Delegation". Florence Times - Tri Cities Daily: p. 2. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WxgsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yMgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1399,3405320&hl=en. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ Billy Hathorn, "James Douglas Martin and the Alabama Republican Resurgence, 1962-1965", Gulf Coast Historical Review, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Spring 1994), pp. 36-37
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James C. Inzer |
Lieutenant Governor of Alabama 1951–1955 |
Succeeded by William G. Hardwick |
| Preceded by Albert Boutwell |
Lieutenant Governor of Alabama 1963–1967 |
Succeeded by Albert Brewer |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by J. Lister Hill |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Alabama 1969–1978 Served alongside: John J. Sparkman |
Succeeded by Maryon Pittman Allen |
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- 1912 births
- 1978 deaths
- Alabama Democrats
- Alabama lawyers
- American members of the Churches of Christ
- Democratic Party United States Senators
- Lieutenant Governors of Alabama
- United States Senators from Alabama
- Alabama State Senators
- Members of the Alabama House of Representatives
- University of Alabama alumni
- University of Alabama School of Law alumni
- United States Navy personnel
- American military personnel of World War II
