William Allan (UK politician)

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For other persons named William Allan, see William Allan (disambiguation).

Sir William Allan (1837 – 28 December 1903) was a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was Member of Parliament for Gateshead from 1893 until his death in 1903. Sir William's professional career was as a steamship engineer in the early years of construction of these vessels and his business was the Nova Scotia engineering works in Dundee, Scotland. He was also involved with a sea line, the Albyn Line, which bore the beginning letters of his surname. His early life included crew experience on steamships which were at one stage gun-running to America during the American Civil War, and he wrote of a number of dangerous escapades during this time. Later whilst a parliamentarian as member for Gateshead he became a Sea Lord. He published a book which was an illustrated account of his life, for his grandchildren, as well as a number of books of traditional Scottish poetry.