Heman Allen (June 14, 1777 – December 11, 1844) was an American lawyer and politician from Milton,

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. He served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

Biography

Allen was born in Ashfield (now

Deerfield, Massachusetts Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Settled near the Connecticut River in the 17th century during the colonial era, the population was 5,090 as of the 2020 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachus ...

) to Enoch Allen and Mercy Belding Allen. He attended an academy in

Chesterfield, New Hampshire Chesterfield is a New England town, town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,552 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It includes the villages of Spofford, New Hampshir ...

for two years before moving to

Grand Isle, Vermont Grand Isle is a town on Grand Isle in Grand Isle County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,086 at the 2020 census. A landing for the Lake Champlain Transportation Company's ferry to Plattsburgh, New York, at Cumberland Head is lo ...

. He

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

with Elnathan Keyes of Burlington and Bates Turner of St. Albans. Allen was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1803. He began the

practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the profes ...

in Milton, and was the first resident lawyer in Milton. Allen served as a member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

from 1810 to 1814, 1816 to 1817, 1822, and 1824 to 1826. He moved to Burlington in 1828 and continued the practice of law. He was elected as an

Anti-Jacksonian The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States which evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John ...

candidate to the Twenty-second, Twenty-third and the Twenty-fourth Congresses March 4, 1831 to March 3, 1837). He was elected as a Whig candidate to the Twenty-fifth Congress, serving from March 4, 1837, until March 3, 1839. While in Congress, Allen served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury during the Twenty-third through Twenty-fifth Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1838 to the Twenty-sixth Congress. After leaving Congress, Allen resumed the practice of law. He was a director of the Lake Champlain Steamboat Company.

Personal life

Allen married Sarah Ann "Sally" Prentis Allen on December 4, 1804. They had eight children; Heman Jr., Lucius,

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

, Sarah, Charles Prentis, Joseph William, Julia, and James Heman. Allen was the distant cousin of

Heman Allen (of Colchester) Heman Allen (February 23, 1779April 7, 1852) was an American lawyer, politician and ambassador from Colchester, Vermont, Colchester, Vermont. He served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative and as America's first Unit ...

, United States Representative from

Colchester, Vermont Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Colchester was 17,524. It is the third-most populous municipality and most populous town in the state of Vermont. Colchester borders B ...

and America's first United States

Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

to Chile. To distinguish between them, he was often referred to as ''Heman Allen (of Milton)''.

Death

Allen died in Burlington on December 11, 1844, and is interred at the Elmwood Avenue Cemetery in Burlington.

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: ALLEN, Heman (of Milton), (1777 - 1844)

Govtrack.us: Rep. Heman “of Milton” Allen

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Heman (of Milton) 1777 births 1844 deaths People from Deerfield, Massachusetts Vermont National Republicans National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont Members of the Vermont House of Representatives American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly