James C. Allen

James Cameron Allen
Clerk of the United States House of Representatives
In office
1857–1860
Preceded byWilliam Cullom
Succeeded byJohn W. Forney
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's At-large district
In office
March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865
Preceded byDistrict created
Succeeded bySamuel W. Moulton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 7th district
In office
March 4, 1853 – July 18, 1856
Preceded byRichard Yates
Succeeded byVacant
In office
November 4, 1856 – March 3, 1857
Preceded byVacant
Succeeded byAaron Shaw
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from the 10th district
In office
January 6, 1851 (1851-January-06) – January 3, 1853 (1853-January-03)
Preceded byRichard G. Morris
Succeeded byWilliam H. Sterrett
Personal details
Born(1822-01-29)January 29, 1822
Shelby County, Kentucky
DiedJanuary 30, 1912(1912-01-30) (aged 90)
Olney, Illinois
Political partyDemocratic Party
Spouse(s)Ellen Kitchell
Julia Kitchell
Children3 children by his first marriage, 7 by his second
OccupationAttorney, Judge

James Cameron Allen (January 29, 1822 – January 30, 1912) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.

Born in Shelby County, Kentucky to Benjamin and Margaret (née Youel) Allen, the seventh of ten children.[1] His family moved to Parke County, Indiana in 1830.

Allen read law in the office of Howard & Wright in Rockville, Indiana, and in August, 1843, he was admitted to the bar and began to practice in Sullivan, Indiana.[1] He served as prosecuting attorney for the seventh judicial district of Indiana 1846–1848 before moving to Palestine, Illinois, where he continued to practice law. He served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 10th district from 1851 to 1853.

Allen was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third Congress (March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855). When he presented his credentials as a Member-elect to the Thirty-fourth Congress and served from March 4, 1855, to July 18, 1856, the House decided he was not entitled to the seat due to a challenge by Colonel William B. Archer, who claimed there were irregularities in the election.[1]

Allen was subsequently elected to fill the vacancy thus caused and was allowed to serve from November 4, 1856, to March 3, 1857. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1856. Following his term in office, he served as the Clerk of the House of Representatives in the Thirty-fifth Congress from 1857 to 1859.[2] He was an unsuccessful candidate for Illinois Governor in 1860, losing to Richard Yates.[3]

In 1861 Governor Yates offered Allen the command of the 21st Illinois Infantry Regiment. Allen declined, claiming no military experiences and recommended that the command be offered to Ulysses S. Grant.[1]

Allen was elected circuit court judge in April 1861 and served until he resigned in 1863 to serve a second term in Congress during the Thirty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1864, losing to Shelbyville, Illinois state legislator Samuel W. Moulton. He returned to Illinois to practice law.

He was reelected circuit court judge in 1873 and upon the establishment of the appellate court was appointed its judge, occupying both positions and serving from 1873 to 1879.

  1. ^ a b c d "Biography of Hon. James Cameron Allen". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  2. ^ "35th Congress (1857–1859)". Congress Profiles. US Congress. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  3. ^ "The History of Southern Illinois". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-03-18.