J. Weston Allen | |
---|---|
25th Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts | |
In office 1920–1923 | |
Governor | Calvin Coolidge Channing H. Cox |
Preceded by | Henry A. Wyman |
Succeeded by | Jay R. Benton |
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 4th Middlesex district | |
In office 1915–1918 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Newton Highlands, Massachusetts | April 19, 1872
Died | January 1, 1942 Waverly, New York | (aged 69)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Caroline Cheney Hills (1901–42) |
Residence | Newton, Massachusetts |
Alma mater | Yale University Harvard Law School[citation needed] |
Profession | Attorney |
[1][2][3] | |
John Weston Allen[4] (April 19, 1872[4] – January 1, 1942[5]) was an American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1915 to 1918[3] and as Massachusetts Attorney General from 1920 to 1923.
As Attorney General, Allen was aggressive in his pursuit of white collar criminals.[6] During his tenure, Allen prosecuted Thomas W. Lawson, L. C. Van Riper,[6] and Charles Ponzi.[4]
Instead of seeking reelection, Allen ran for Governor of Massachusetts in 1922 but lost the Republican primary election to incumbent Channing H. Cox. Allen served as a member of the United States Attorney General's National Crime Commission from 1926 to 1936 and was the commission's chairman from 1930 to 1936.