William J. Allen
Encyclopedia
William Joshua Allen was a U.S. Representative
from Illinois
during much of the American Civil War
, and was later a United States federal judge
.
Born in Wilson County, Tennessee, as a son of Willis Allen
, he moved with his father to Franklin (now Williamson) County, Illinois, about 1830, and in 1839 settled in Marion. Allen attended the common schools, and received an LL.B. from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1848. He was admitted to the bar
in 1849 and was an enrolling and engrossing clerk for the Illinois state legislature in 1849 and 1851. He was in private practice in Metropolis, Illinois
from 1849 to 1853, and in Marion, Illinois
from 1853 to 1862. He was appointed as a prosecuting attorney of 26th judicial district of Illinois from 1853 to 1854, serving briefly as a state senator of Illinois State Legislature in 1855, before becoming the United States Attorney
for the Southern District of Illinois from 1855 to 1859. Allen was elected judge of the circuit court of the twenty-sixth judicial circuit on June 24, 1859, and served until 1861.
Allen was elected as a Democrat
to the Thirty-seventh
Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John A. Logan
. He was reelected to the Thirty-eighth
Congress and served from June 2, 1862, to March 3, 1865. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1864. He served as member of the State constitutional conventions in 1862 and 1870, and served as delegate to all Democratic National Conventions from 1864 to 1888. He was in private practice in Cairo, Illinois
(where he partnered with Samuel P. Wheeler
) from 1865 to 1874, in Carbondale, Illinois
from 1874 to 1886, and in Springfield, Illinois
from 1886 to 1887.
On April 18, 1887, Allen received a recess appointment
from Grover Cleveland to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
vacated by Samuel H. Treat. Formally nominated on December 20, 1887, Allen was confirmed by the United States Senate
on January 19, 1888, and received his commission the same day. Allen served until his death, while visiting Hot Springs, Arkansas
. He was interred in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
during much of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and was later a United States federal judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
.
Born in Wilson County, Tennessee, as a son of Willis Allen
Willis Allen
Willis Allen was a U.S. Representative from Illinois, and the father of William J. Allen.Born near Roanoke, Virginia, Allen attended the common schools. He taught school. He moved to Tennessee and settled in Wilson County. He moved to Franklin County, Illinois in 1830 and engaged in agricultural...
, he moved with his father to Franklin (now Williamson) County, Illinois, about 1830, and in 1839 settled in Marion. Allen attended the common schools, and received an LL.B. from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1848. He was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
in 1849 and was an enrolling and engrossing clerk for the Illinois state legislature in 1849 and 1851. He was in private practice in Metropolis, Illinois
Metropolis, Illinois
Metropolis is a city located along the Ohio River in Massac County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,482...
from 1849 to 1853, and in Marion, Illinois
Marion, Illinois
The city of Marion is the county seat of Williamson County, Illinois. The 2010 census counted 17,193 residents, making Marion the 25th most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in Illinois, and the second most populous city in Southern Illinois, outside of the Metro-East, behind...
from 1853 to 1862. He was appointed as a prosecuting attorney of 26th judicial district of Illinois from 1853 to 1854, serving briefly as a state senator of Illinois State Legislature in 1855, before becoming the United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Southern District of Illinois from 1855 to 1859. Allen was elected judge of the circuit court of the twenty-sixth judicial circuit on June 24, 1859, and served until 1861.
Allen was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Thirty-seventh
37th United States Congress
The Thirty-seventh 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, 1861 to March 4, 1863, during the first two...
Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John A. Logan
John A. Logan
John Alexander Logan was an American soldier and political leader. He served in the Mexican-American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He served the state of Illinois as a state senator, congressman and senator and was an unsuccessful candidate for Vice President...
. He was reelected to the Thirty-eighth
38th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:Before this Congress, the 1860 United States Census and resulting reapportionment changed the size of the House to 241 members...
Congress and served from June 2, 1862, to March 3, 1865. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1864. He served as member of the State constitutional conventions in 1862 and 1870, and served as delegate to all Democratic National Conventions from 1864 to 1888. He was in private practice in Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
(where he partnered with Samuel P. Wheeler
Samuel P. Wheeler
Samuel P. Wheeler was a prominent Illinois lawyer of the nineteenth century.-Biography:Samuel P. Wheeler was born in Binghamton, New York on January 12, 1839, the son of physician Dr. Alvan Wheeler...
) from 1865 to 1874, in Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
from 1874 to 1886, and in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
from 1886 to 1887.
On April 18, 1887, Allen received a recess appointment
Recess appointment
A recess appointment is the appointment, by the President of the United States, of a senior federal official while the U.S. Senate is in recess. The U.S. Constitution requires that the most senior federal officers must be confirmed by the Senate before assuming office, but while the Senate is in...
from Grover Cleveland to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois is a Federal district court covering approximately the southern half of the state of Illinois....
vacated by Samuel H. Treat. Formally nominated on December 20, 1887, Allen was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on January 19, 1888, and received his commission the same day. Allen served until his death, while visiting Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
. He was interred in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
.