Aris T. Allen was an American politician who was the first African American chair of the Maryland Republican party and the first to run for a state-wide office in Maryland.

Background

Aris Allen was born in San Antonio, Texas on December 27, 1910. He attended public schools in San Antonio and Washington, D.C and graduated from Dunbar High School in Washington. He attended Howard University and Howard University

Howard University

Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...

 Medical School earning an M.D.

Doctor of Medicine

Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...

 in 1944.
Allen was president of his class at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Allen married Faye E. Watson in 1947 the couple had two children.
Allen served as a pilot in United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 Specialized Training Program in 1942 and was an Air Force flight surgeon from 1953 to 1955.

Medicine

Allen started his medical career as a medical resident at Freedman's Hospital, Washington, D.C., 1944 and 1945 then went into private practice in Annapolis. He received the Maryland Medical Association award for outstanding achievements in medicine and civic affairs in 1967. Allen was also the Medical affairs advisor to the Health Care Financing Administration in Maryland from 1981 to 1989, a member of the Board of Medical Examiners of Maryland and Director of the Health Standards and Quality Board of the Health Care Financing Administration. He was a board member of the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians and President of the medical staff of Anne Arundel Medical Center.

Education

Allen devoted much of his time to the education of youth in Maryland. He was the first African American to be appointed to the Anne Arundel County Board of Education, was a member of the board of the Anne Arundel Community College

Anne Arundel Community College

Anne Arundel Community College, founded in 1961, is located in Arnold, Maryland. The college was named "Community College of the Year" by National Business Alliance in 2000. AACC has also received many other in recent years...

, and vice chair for the board of regents at Morgan State University

Morgan State University

Morgan State University, formerly Centenary Biblical Institute , Morgan College and Morgan State College , is a historically black college in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Morgan is Maryland's designated public urban university and the largest HBCU in the state of Maryland...

.

Civic involvement

Allen served on the boards of the YMCA

YMCA

The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...

, the Salvation Army, the Community Chest of Anne Arundel County, the Red Cross

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...

, the Annapolis Chamber of Commerce and the Annapolis chapter of the American Cancer Society

American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...

; was a life member of the NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...

 and a member of the Board of stewards for his church, Mount Moriah A. M. E.

In the legislature

Allen first served in the House of Delegates reoresenting Anne Arundel County from 1967 to 1974 and then from 1990 to1991. During his tenure in the House he was Minority whip from 1967 to 1974and a member of the Constitutional and Administrative Law Committee, 1967–74. In the Maryland Senate he served on the Finance Committee from 1979 to 1981.

• 1990 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 30

Voters to choose three:

Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
John Astle John Astle John Astle is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He is currently serving in his 4th term in the Maryland State Senate, representing Maryland's District 30 in Anne Arundel County.-Background:... , Dem.	18,009	23%	Won
Aris T. Allen, Rep.	16,951	22%	Won
Michael E. Busch Michael E. Busch Michael E. Busch is the current Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates in the United States. Busch has been a member of the House since 1987, and Speaker since January 2003... , Dem.	16,104	18%	Won
Edith Segree, Dem.	14,341	18%	Lost
Phillip D. Bissett Phillip D. Bissett Phillip D. Bissett , was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, District 30 in Anne Arundel County and is a former Republican candidate for Anne Arundel County Executive.-Background:... , Rep.	13,321	17%	Lost

Republican activist

Chair, Maryland state Republican Party. Chair of the Maryland delegates to the Republican National Convention, 1972. NAACP county conference award, 1976. Chair, Republican State Central Committee, 1977–79. Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship, 1978. Candidate for lieutenant governor of Maryland, 1978. Convention secretary, Republican National Convention, 1980.

Gubernatorial General Election Results, 1978

Candidates	Votes	Percent	Outcome
Harry R. Hughes/Samuel W. Bogley Dem.	718,328	70.98%	Won
John Glenn Beall, Jr. John Glenn Beall, Jr. John Glenn Beall, Jr. was a Republican member of the United States Senate, representing the State of Maryland 1971–1977. He was also a member of the Maryland House of Delegates 1962–1968, and the U.S. House of Representatives from the sixth district of Maryland from 1969 to 1971... /Aris T. Allen Rep.	293,635	29.02%	Lost

Legacy

Dr. Allen died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being ill with cancer in Annapolis, February 8, 1991.

A freeway, Aris T. Allen Boulevard (Maryland Route 665

Maryland Route 665

Maryland Route 665 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Aris T. Allen Boulevard, the state highway runs from unsigned Interstate 595 , U.S...

) was named for Allen, who died the year prior to its completion. State officials planned to erect a memorial to Allen in the median of his namesake boulevard, but the memorial was placed in a nearby park so that his wife could visit.

The text of the memorial reads:

"A man of honor...A distinguished career of professional and public service...As a Medical Doctor...As a member of the Maryland State Legislature...As an appointee of The President of the United States, to serve his Country on the National level...And as a caring person who has served his community in so many other ways...To help people in need...To provide opportunity for every citizen..."And to set an example that brings out the very best in us".