John Joseph Allen Jr. (November 27, 1899 – March 7, 1995) was the U.S. representative from

California's 7th congressional district California's 7th congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, United States congressional district in California. Doris Matsui, a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, has represented the district since Januar ...

from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1959. He is the last Republican to represent

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

and

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

in Congress. He served as

Under Secretary of Commerce for Transportation A United States Under Secretary of Commerce is one of several positions in the United States Department of Commerce, serving under the United States Secretary of Commerce. History In June 1939, Edward J. Noble was appointed the first Under Secret ...

under President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

from 1959 to 1961, helping to lay the groundwork for the future Department of Transportation. He retired to

McCall, Idaho McCall is a resort town on the western edge of Valley County, Idaho, United States. Named after its founder, Tom McCall, it is situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near the center of the Payette National Forest. The population was 3 ...

in 1970, where he later served as mayor from 1988 to 1992. During this time he was America's oldest mayor.

Early life and education

John J. Allen Jr. was born to John J. Allen Sr., an Alameda County Judge, in Oakland, California, on November 27, 1899. Allen Jr. graduated from public high school and while studying at

joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

as an Apprentice seaman 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 ...

Career

After graduating from

UC Berkeley School of Law The University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Berkeley Law) is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of California, Berkeley. The school was commonly referred to as "Boalt Hall" for many years, although it was ...

in 1922, Allen Jr. was admitted to the California State Bar and commenced practice. Between 1923 and 1943 Allen Jr. served as a member of the Oakland Board of Education, serving several terms as president. He also served as the President of the California State School Trustees Association from 1936 to 1938, and as a member of the County Republican Central Committee from 1936 to 1944. In 1942, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Allen Jr. returned to the Navy, this time serving as a Lieutenant commander. He was discharged in 1945. After his military service, Allen Jr. served as the vice-chairman for the State Commission on School Districts, and in 1946 ran for Congress in California's 7th Congressional District after the retirement of Congressman John H. Tolan. Allen Jr. beat

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 ...

Patrick W. McDonough by 13,520 votes. Allen voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights law passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. E ...

. After his unsuccessful re-election bid, Allen Jr. was appointed as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Transportation on January 5, 1959, serving until 1961.

Later life

After his political career ended in 1961, John J. Allen Jr. resumed the practice of law until his retirement in 1969. He resided in

, and at the age of 87 he was elected Mayor of McCall, serving until 1992.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, John J. Jr. 1899 births 1995 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Idaho 20th-century American lawyers Idaho Republicans Lawyers from Oakland, California Mayors of places in Idaho Military personnel from California People from McCall, Idaho Politicians from Oakland, California Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California School board members in California UC Berkeley School of Law alumni United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy personnel of World War II United States under secretaries of commerce 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives