Hubert Allison Allen (April 4, 1872 – May 14, 1942) was an American general who served during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He is strongly associated with the

Iowa National Guard The Iowa National Guard consists of the: * Iowa Army National Guard and the * Iowa Air National Guard The Iowa National Guard headquarters is at Camp Dodge in Johnston, several miles north of the state capital Des Moines. The facility serves ...

Early life

Allen was born in

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

Buchanan County, Iowa Buchanan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,565. Its county seat is Independence. The county was created in 1837 and was named in honor of Senator James Buchanan, the 15th Presi ...

, the son of Joel Oliver Allen and Mary Jane (McGary) Allen.Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. PP. 5–6. He graduated from

Iowa State College Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Ames ha ...

in 1892.

Military career

On April 26, 1898 Allen enlisted with the 49th Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He served in

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.provost-marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French (Modern French ). While a provost marshal is now usually a senior c ...

of the Seventh Army Corps. In

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, Allen was honorably discharged as a captain on May 13, 1899. For twenty-five years, he was actively identified with the

.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 7 On June 26, 1915, he was made brigadier general, Iowa National Guard, for service on the Mexican border. On August 4, 1917 he was promoted to brigadier general (National Army) and given command of the 67th Infantry Brigade, 34th Division, at Camp Cody, in New Mexico. Allen was acting commander of the 34th Division in December 1917 and from August to October 1918. He also served in France from September 15, 1918 to April 30, 1919, where he graduated from the general officer school in

Langres Langres () is a commune in France, commune in northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Haute-Marne, in the Regions of France, region of Grand Est. History As the capital ...

. He also commanded the 56th Infantry Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, of the

Pennsylvania National Guard The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

troops while in France. Allen was discharged as a brigadier general (National Army) on May 15, 1919, but was then commissioned a colonel. After coming back from France, he had two years of duty in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

commanding a regiment of

Philippine Scouts The Philippine Scouts ( Filipino: ''Maghahanap ng Pilipinas''/''Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'') was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos and ...

and was sent to

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

to command the 14th Infantry. After returning to the United States, he served as a senior instructor to the

Oregon National Guard The Oregon Military Department is an agency of the Government of Oregon, government of the U.S. state of Oregon, which oversees the armed forces of the state of Oregon. Under the authority and direction of the Governor of Oregon, governor as ...

until his retirement on September 30, 1935.

Civilian career

In his civilian life, he was the manager of the Iowa Telephone Company.

Community and political involvement

Allen belonged to the

United Spanish War Veterans The United Spanish War Veterans was an American veterans' organization which consisted of veterans of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and China Relief Expedition. Origins Soon after the Spanish–American War ended, in early ...

, the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an Act of Co ...

, the Masons, and was a Republican. Allen served as a Vice President in the Iowa Rifle Association in 1914.

Death and legacy

Hubert Allison Allen died in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

on May 15, 1942. His papers are held by Lewis & Clark College Aubrey Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections, Portland, Oregon.The Hubert Allison Allen Collection (OLPb060ALL), Lewis & Clark College Aubrey Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections, Portland, Oregon

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References

Bibliography

*Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. *Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Hubert Allison 1872 births 1942 deaths United States Army generals American Freemasons People from Independence, Iowa United States Army generals of World War I Iowa State University alumni Military personnel from Iowa 19th-century United States Army personnel Iowa National Guard personnel