William Allen (loyalist)

William Allen
Born	August 5, 1704 Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania, British America
Died	September 6, 1780 (1780-09-07) (aged 76) Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Merchant, Jurist
Spouse	Margaret Hamilton
Children	6, including Andrew

William Allen (August 5, 1704 – September 6, 1780) was a wealthy merchant, attorney and chief justice of the Province of Pennsylvania, and mayor of Philadelphia during the colonial era. At the time of the American Revolution, Allen was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Philadelphia. A Loyalist, Allen agreed that the colonies should seek to redress their grievances with British Parliament through constitutional means, and he disapproved of the movement toward independence.^[1]

He built a manor and country estate, known as Mount Airy, in 1750 outside Philadelphia; the neighborhood became known by his estate's name and is now part of the city. In 1762, he founded what became Allentown, Pennsylvania, and had a hunting lodge there.