Philip Allen (September 1, 1785December 16, 1865) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or Production (economics), production of goods with the help of equipment, Work (human activity), labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary se ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. He served as

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Dan McKee, a member of the Democrati ...

and as a Democratic member of the

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

Early life

Allen was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, the son of Zachariah Allen and Nancy Crawford Allen. He was educated by private tutors and attended Taunton Academy and Robert Rogers School in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. In 1803, he graduated from the College of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (the former name of

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

) at Providence. After graduation, he engaged in mercantile pursuits and foreign commerce before becoming a manufacturer of cotton goods in

Smithfield, Rhode Island Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,118 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1731, it includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Spragueville, Stillwater, an ...

. He was president of the Providence Insurance Company, and in 1831 he began manufacturing cotton goods in Providence.

Political career

He began his political career as a member of the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is ...

, serving from 1819 to 1821. In 1827, he was appointed pension agent and president of the Rhode Island branch of the United States Bank. Allen was elected as the Democratic

in 1851. He served as Governor until 1853, when he resigned that office after being elected to represent

in the

. Allen served in the Senate from July 20, 1853 to March 3, 1859, and was Chairman for the Committee of Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry during the

Thirty-third Congress The 33rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1853, ...

and the

Thirty-fourth Congress The 34th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1855, ...

. He was not a candidate for renomination, and retired from politics and business in 1859. He died in Providence on December 16, 1865, and is interred in the

North Burial Ground The North Burial Ground is a cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island dating to 1700, the first public cemetery in Providence. It is located north of downtown Providence, bounded by North Main Street, Branch Avenue, the Moshassuck River, and C ...

in Providence.

Family life

He married Phoebe Aborn in 1815, and they had eleven children.

Honors

In 2016, Allen was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.

References

External links

* *
National Governors Association
nga.org. Accessed March 28, 2024. , -

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Philip 1785 births 1865 deaths Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island Democratic Party United States senators from Rhode Island Democratic Party governors of Rhode Island Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Brown University alumni Burials at North Burying Ground (Providence) 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly