Asa Leonard Allen (January 5, 1891 – January 5, 1969) was an educator, attorney, and member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from the state of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. He served eight terms as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

from 1937 to 1953, having represented the now defunct 8th congressional district, centered about

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

Early life and career

Allen was born in a log cabin near

Winnfield Winnfield is a small city in, and the parish seat of, Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, and 4,840 in 2010. Three governors of the state of Louisiana were from Winnfield: Huey Long, Earl K. Long, ...

, the seat of

Winn Parish Winn Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,755. The parish seat and largest city is Winnfield. The parish was founded in 1852. It is last in alphabetical order of Louisiana's s ...

, to Asa L. Allen and the former Sophronia Perkins. He was a younger brother of Governor Oscar Kelly Allen.

Education

He was educated in the Winn Parish public schools and received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

in 1914.

Family

The next year, he married the former Lottie Mae Thompson, and they had two sons, Harwell L. Allen, who became a district judge, and Lyndon Blaine Allen.

Early career

Allen taught in the rural schools of neighboring

Grant Parish Grant Parish is a parish located in the North Central portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,169. The parish seat is Colfax. The parish was founded in 1869 during the Reconstruction era. ...

from 1914 to 1917. He was a principal in schools in Georgetown and Verda near Montgomery. Thereafter, he became the superintendent of the Winn Parish system, 1917–1922. He studied law on his own, was admitted to the bar in 1922, and practiced in Winnfield, where he was city attorney for a time. Allen was a prominent

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

, who served a stint as vice-president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. He was a

Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a List of Masonic rites, rite within the broader context of Freemasonry. It is the most widely practiced List of Masonic rites, Rite in the world. In some parts of the world, and in the ...

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

and a

Shriner Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society. Founded in 1872 in New York City, it is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and has over 200 chapters ...

. He died in Winnfield on his 78th birthday and is interred at Winnfield Cemetery.

Congress

While he first ran for Congress, Allen was also a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1936, which renominated the

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

and

John Nance Garner John Nance Garner III (November 22, 1868 – November 7, 1967), known among his contemporaries as "Cactus Jack", was the 32nd vice president of the United States, serving from 1933 to 1941, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. A member of the ...

ticket, an overwhelming winner in Louisiana and nationwide as well. In Congress, Allen served as chairman of the Committee on the Census. A loyal member of the Long organization, he did not seek a ninth term in Congress in 1952. Instead, he deferred to George Shannon "Doc" Long, the older brother of the legendary

Huey Pierce Long Jr. Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "The Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination i ...

, and

Earl Kemp Long Earl Kemp Long (August 26, 1895 – September 5, 1960) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Louisiana on three occasions (1939–1940, 1948–1952, and 1956–1960). A member of the Democratic Party, he held the ...

, who desired to run for Allen's 8th district seat. In 1943, Allen was among the US representatives who opposed the repeal of the

Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a United States Code, United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law made exceptions for travelers an ...

."105 Chinese"
''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', June 14, 1943 He also introduced the

Renunciation Act of 1944 The Renunciation Act of 1944 (Public Law 78-405, ) was an act of the 78th Congress regarding the renunciation of United States citizenship. Prior to the law's passage, it was not possible to lose U.S. citizenship while in U.S. territory excep ...

in the House.

Death and legacy

Allen died on his 78th birthday in his native

Winnfield, Louisiana Winnfield is a small city in, and the County seat, parish seat of, Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census, and 4,840 in 2010 United States Census, 2010. Three governors of the ...

. In 1994, Allen was

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

inducted into the

Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame located in Winnfield, Louisiana. Created by a 1987 act of the Louisiana State Legislature, it honors the best-known politicians and political journalists in the state. ...

in Winnfield. His brother had been an original inductee a year earlier. The municipal building in Winnfield is named in his honor.

References

*"Asa Leonard Allen", ''A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'', Vol. 1 (1988), p. 9 *http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=A000114 *https://web.archive.org/web/20090703054258/http://cityofwinnfield.com/museum.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, A. Leonard 1891 births 1969 deaths Baptists from Louisiana Louisiana State University alumni 20th-century American lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana Educators from Louisiana People from Grant Parish, Louisiana People from Winnfield, Louisiana 20th-century Baptists 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives