Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/81

ALLEN.ALLEN. ALLEN, Ebenezer, pioneer, was born in Northampton, Mass., Oct. 17, 1743. He was a blacksmith and in 1762 married a Miss Richards at New Marlboro, Mass. In 1768 he removed to Bennington, Vt., and in 1771 to Poultney, Vt. He was a soldier with Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga and with Colonel Warner in Canada in 1755. He removed to Tinmouth, Vt., and was a delegate to the several conventions of 1776, looking to an independent state government. In 1777 he helped to frame the constitution of the new state; and the same year distinguished himself as captain of minutemen at the battle of Bennington. He was promoted major of rangers, and afterwards colonel in the state service. He in September, 1777, made with forty men an attack on Mount Defiance, and captured the garrison of two hundred men, and had turned the guns upon Fort Ticonderoga when his superior officer declined to continue the attempt to capture the fort. In November of the same year, after the abandonment of the fort, Major Allen cut off the rear guard of the retreating British troops and captured forty-nine "redcoats." Among his prisoners was Diana Morris and her infant child, negro slaves of a British officer. As the constitution he had so recently helped to frame for the state forbade the holding of slaves, Major Allen gave them a certificate of emancipation. He commanded Fort Vergennes in 1778-'79, serving the latter year on the board of war. In 1780 he aided Governor Clinton, of New York, in intercepting Sir John Johnson in his raid from Canada, and continued on duty until the close of the war. Died at Burlington, Vt., March 26, 1806. ALLEN, Edward P., representative, was born at Sharon, Washtenaw county, Mich., Oct. 28, 1839. Until his twentieth year his time was divided between farm labor in summer and attending and teaching school in winter. In 1864 he was graduated from the state normal school, going thence to Vassar, Mich., where for three months he taught the Union school. In June, 1864, he joined 29th Michigan infantry, and in September of the same year was made first-lieutenant. Before the close of the war he was promoted to a captaincy. He afterwards took up the study of law, and in 1867 was graduated from the Ann Arbor law school, and began the practice of his profession in co-partnership with the Hon. B. M. Cutcheon, in Ypsilanti. The latter removing to Detroit. Mr. Allen continued his practice alone. In 1876 he was sent to the lower house of the state legislature, and again in 1878, and during the latter term served as speaker. In 1880 he was elected mayor of the city, and from 1882 until 1885 he acted as U. S. Indian agent for Michigan. He was elected to the fiftieth and re-elected to the fifty-first congresses. ALLEN, Edward Patrick, R.C. bishop, was born at Lowell, Mass., March 17, 1852; son of John and Mary (Egan) Allen. He received a public school education and was graduated at Mount St. Mary's, Emmittsburg, Md., with the degree A.M. in 1878. In 1879 he commenced his theological course at the seminary connected with the college, was initiated into minor orders in 1880, ordained deacon in September, 1881, and elevated to the priesthood, Dec. 17, 1881. Father Allen remained at Mount St. Mary's college as professor until the spring of 1882, when he was called upon to return to the east by the bishop of Boston, who appointed him an assistant in the cathedral in that city. Later he was assigned to assist Rev. J. S. Cullen at Framingham, and was appointed chaplain of the state reformatory at Sherborn, Mass. At the urgent request of the president and faculty, Father Allen was in the spring of 1884 again returned to his alma mater. He was elected vice president and treasurer of the college, and discharged his duties with such satisfaction that he was elected president of Mount St. Mary's college at the close of the scholastic year, 1884. During his administration many improvements were made in the college and seminary, and the number of pupils in both departments was greatly increased. The faculty was augmented and strengthened, the college debt, amounting to sixty-five thousand dollars was paid, and new buildings were erected. In 1889 the degree of D. D. was conferred upon him by Georgetown college. He visited Europe in 1889 and Rome in 1892. He was elected bishop of Mobile and was consecrated May 16, 1897. ALLEN, Elisha Hunt, jurist, was born at New Salem, Mass., Jan. 28, 1804, son of Samuel C. Allen, a lawyer. In 1823 he was graduated at Williams college, studied with his father, and two years later was admitted to the bar, beginning practice in Brattleboro. He subsequently removed to Bangor, Me., where he served in the legislature and represented his district in the 27th Congress as a Whig, but was defeated for the 28th Congress. He removed to Boston in 1847, and was elected to the house of representatives of the state in 1849. President Taylor made him United States consul at Honolulu in 1849, and he performed the office so acceptably that the Hawaiian government made him first minister of finance, and then chief justice. The latter office he retained for twenty years. Important negotiations were conducted between the United States and the Hawaiian governments during this term, and upon his return to America he, at various times, was the accredited minister of the Hawaiian kingdom at Washington. He was dean of the diplomatic corps at the time of his death, which occurred Jan. 1, 1883.