Aris T. Allen (December 27, 1910 – February 8, 1991) was an

American politician In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches share powers: Congress, which forms the legislative branch, a bicameral legis ...

who was the first African-American chair of the

Maryland Republican Party The Maryland Republican Party is the Maryland state branch of the Republican Party (GOP), headquartered in Annapolis. It is the state's minority party, controlling no statewide offices, minorities in both houses of the state legislature, and 1 ...

and the first to run for a statewide office in Maryland.

Background

Aris Allen was born in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, Texas, on December 27, 1910. He attended public schools in San Antonio and Washington, D.C., and graduated from Dunbar High School in Washington. He attended Howard University and

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

Medical School, earning an

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

in 1944. Allen was president of his class at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Allen married Faye E. Watson in 1947; the couple had two children. Allen served as a pilot in a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Specialized Training Program in 1942, and was an Air Force flight surgeon from 1953 to 1955.

Medicine

Allen started his medical career as a medical resident at Freedman's Hospital, Washington, D.C., in 1944 and 1945, then went into private practice in

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. He received the Maryland Medical Association award for outstanding achievements in medicine and civic affairs in 1967. He was also the medical affairs advisor to the Health Care Financing Administration in Maryland from 1981 to 1989, a member of the Board of Medical Examiners of Maryland, and director of the Health Standards and Quality Board of the Health Care Financing Administration. He was a board member of the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians and president of the medical staff of Anne Arundel Medical Center.

Education

Allen devoted much of his time to the education of youth in Maryland. He was the first African American to be appointed to the Anne Arundel County Board of Education, was a member of the board of the

Anne Arundel Community College Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) is a public community college in Arnold, Maryland. The college was founded in 1961 and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The community college offers letters of recognition, ...

, a Trustee of the Anne Arundel County Public Library, and was vice chair for the board of regents at

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a Public university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black research university in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically bla ...

Civic involvement

Allen served on the boards of the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

, the Salvation Army, the Community Chest of Anne Arundel County, the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

, the Annapolis Chamber of Commerce and the Annapolis chapter of the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...

; he was a life member of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

, a member of

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...

fraternity (Eta Eta Lambda chapter), and a member of the Board of stewards for his church, Mount Moriah A. M. E.

In the legislature

Allen first served in the House of Delegates representing Anne Arundel County from 1967 to 1974 and then from 1990 to 1991. During his tenure in the House he was Minority whip from 1967 to 1974 and a member of the Constitutional and Administrative Law Committee, 1967–74. In the Maryland Senate he served on the Finance Committee from 1979 to 1981. * 1990 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 30 ::Voters to choose three: :

Republican activist

Chair, Maryland state Republican Party. Chair of the Maryland delegates to the Republican National Convention, 1972. NAACP county conference award, 1976. Chair, Republican State Central Committee, 1977–79. Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship, 1978. Candidate for lieutenant governor of Maryland, 1978. Convention secretary, Republican National Convention, 1980. :Gubernatorial General Election Results, 1978 :

Legacy

Dr. Allen died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Annapolis on February 8, 1991, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A freeway, Aris T. Allen Boulevard ( Maryland Route 665), is named for Allen, who died the year prior to its completion. The text of the memorial reads:

"A man of honor...A distinguished career of professional and public service...As a Medical Doctor...As a member of the Maryland State Legislature...As an appointee of The President of the United States, to serve his Country on the National level...And as a caring person who has served his community in so many other ways...To help people in need...To provide opportunity for every citizen..."And to set an example that brings out the very best in us".

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Aris T. 1910 births 1991 suicides 1991 deaths Politicians from San Antonio African-American United States Air Force personnel African-American state legislators in Maryland 20th-century African-American physicians 20th-century American physicians American primary care physicians American politicians who died by suicide Howard University College of Medicine alumni Republican Party Maryland state senators Republican Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Military personnel from Texas Maryland Republican Party chairs Suicides by firearm in Maryland Physicians from Maryland Physicians from Texas United States Army officers United States Air Force officers 20th-century African-American politicians African-American United States Army personnel African Americans in World War II 20th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly