Robert Edward Lee Allen (November 28, 1865 – January 28, 1951) was an American attorney and politician. He was most notable for his service 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 ...
from
West Virginia
West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
.
Biography
Allen was born in
Lima, West Virginia. He attended the local schools, Fairmont Normal School, and Peabody College in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. He graduated from
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...
in 1894 and
West Virginia University College of Law
The West Virginia University College of Law is the professional school for the study of law at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. The law school was established on February 20, 1878, as the first professional s ...
in 1895. 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 1895 and commenced practice in
Morgantown.
From 1895 to 1917 Allen served on Morgantown's city council. From 1917 to 1921 he was deputy collector of internal revenue for the district of West Virginia. He served as judge of Morgantown's city court from 1921 to 1923.
In 1922, Allen was a successful
Democratic candidate for the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...
. He served in the 68th Congress (March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1925). In 1924, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection, and he ran unsuccessfully again in 1926.
After leaving Congress, Allen resumed the practice of law in Morgantown, where he worked until retiring in 1927. In 1929, he moved to
Preston County
Preston County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 34,216. Its county seat is Kingwood, West Virginia, Kingwood. The county was fo ...
, where he operated a summer resort in
Brookside Brookside may refer to:
Geography Canada
* Brookside, Edmonton
* Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Brookside, Nova Scotia
United Kingdom
* Brookside, Berkshire, England
* Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England
United States
* Bro ...
from 1929 to 1939.
Allen retired again in 1939 and was a resident of
Aurora, West Virginia. He died in
Mountain Lake Park, Maryland
Mountain Lake Park is a town in Garrett County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,147 as of the 2020 census.
History
Mountain Lake Park Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Creedmore wa ...
on January 28, 1951. Allen was interred at Kingwood Cemetery in
Kingwood, West Virginia
Kingwood is a city in Preston County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 2,980 at the 2020 census. The city sits within the Allegheny Mountains above the Cheat River valley. It hosts the annual Preston County ...
.
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Robert Edward Lee
1865 births
1951 deaths
19th-century American lawyers
20th-century American lawyers
Fairmont State University alumni
Municipal judges in West Virginia
People from Kingwood, West Virginia
People from Tyler County, West Virginia
West Virginia city council members
West Virginia lawyers
West Virginia University alumni
West Virginia University College of Law alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia
19th-century West Virginia politicians
20th-century West Virginia politicians
20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives