Henry Justin Allen

Henry Allen
United States Senator from Kansas
In office April 1, 1929 – November 30, 1930
Preceded by	Charles Curtis
Succeeded by	George McGill
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office 1919
Preceded by	Emerson Harrington
Succeeded by	William Cameron Sproul
21st Governor of Kansas
In office January 13, 1919 – January 8, 1923
Lieutenant	Charles Solomon Huffman
Preceded by	Arthur Capper
Succeeded by	Jonathan M. Davis
Personal details
Born	(1868-09-11)September 11, 1868 Pittsfield, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 17, 1950(1950-01-17) (aged 81) Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Other political affiliations	Progressive (1912–1916)
Spouse(s)	Elsie Nuzman
Education	Washburn University Baker University

Henry Justin Allen (September 11, 1868 – January 17, 1950) was the 21st Governor of Kansas (1919–1923) and U.S. Senator from Kansas (1929–31).^[1]

Allen was born in Warren County, Pennsylvania to John and Rebecca Elizabeth (Goodwin) Allen. His family moved to Kansas in 1870, where they settled in Clay County.

Before becoming active in politics, Allen acquired ownership of newspapers throughout Kansas, beginning with the Manhattan Nationalist in Manhattan, Kansas in 1894. He owned the Topeka State Journal with Arthur J. Carruth, Jr and William P. Snyder.^[2] Generally forward-looking in his outlook, he hired Frank Lloyd Wright to design his home in Wichita, Kansas.^[3] Allen's home is the only residence designed by Wright in Kansas.

Allen was in France with William Allen White inspecting the facilities provided to Kansas soldiers of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I when his party nominated him for the office of governor. During the campaign in 1918, Allen never spent any of his own money and learned about his nomination from a Paris newspaper. He served from 1919 to 1923.

Allen expressed some admiration for Benito Mussolini's policies in the 1920s and pushed through a similar industrial court provision. When publisher William Allen White objected, he was arrested in a free speech battle. White won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for his editorial "To an Anxious Friend," published July 27, 1922 opposing the law.^[4]

After leaving the governorship, Allen was U.S. Special Commissioner for Near East Relief in Armenia, Turkey, Greece, and Southern Russia. In 1928 he was Director of Publicity for the Republican National Committee.

In April 1929 was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused when Charles Curtis resigned to become Vice President. Allen served from April 1, 1929 to November 30, 1930. He ran unsuccessfully for the remainder of Curtis' term, and was succeeded by George McGill.

Allen died in 1950 following a cerebral thrombosis in Wichita, Kansas. He is buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Wichita, Kansas. Allen was posthumously inducted into the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame two years later.^[5]

References

External links

• United States Congress. "Henry Justin Allen (id: A000126)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. 
• Henry Justin Allen at Find a Grave

Governors of Kansas
Territorial (1854–61)	Reeder Shannon Geary Walker Denver Medary
State (since 1861)	Robinson Carney Crawford Green Harvey Osborn Anthony St. John Glick Martin Humphrey Lewelling Morrill Leedy Stanley Bailey Hoch Stubbs Hodges Capper Allen Davis Paulen Reed Woodring Landon Huxman Ratner Schoeppel Carlson Hagaman Arn Hall McCuish G. Docking Anderson Avery R. Docking Bennett Carlin Hayden Finney Graves Sebelius Parkinson Brownback

United States Senators from Kansas
Class 2	Lane Ross Caldwell Crozier Harvey Plumb Perkins Martin Baker Burton Benson Curtis Thompson Capper Schoeppel Pearson Kassebaum Roberts
Class 3	Pomeroy Ingalls Peffer Harris Long Bristow Curtis Allen McGill Reed Darby Carlson Dole Frahm Brownback Moran