William Boyd Allison (March 2, 1829 – August 4, 1908) was an American
lawyer and politician.
Early life and career
Born in Ashland, Ohio, Allison had an
excellent grade school education (somewhat rare in those times). Afterward, he spent a year at
Allegheny College (Pennsylvania), then graduated
from Western Reserve College in Ohio in 1849. He then studied law and began practicing in 1852. He did so
in his hometown of Ashland until 1857. In that year, he moved to Dubuque, Iowa (his place
of death), where he took a prominent part in Republican politics.
Civil War
In 1860, Allison was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in
Chicago, which nominated Abraham
Lincoln for president.
During the subsequent Civil War, he was on the staff of Iowa Governor Samuel J.
Kirkwood, who ordered him to help the state raise regiments for the war (he personally
helped raise four regiments). He also served as a lieutenant colonel during the war,
although it was unlikely he actually served in uniform.
Allison was elected to the United States House of
Representatives as the representative of the Iowa Third District in 1862, in the midst of
the war. As a congressman he pushed for higher tariffs.
Postbellum career
Following the war, Allison continued to serve in the house until 1871, when he declined to be a candidate for renomination,
having unsuccessfully sought election to the U. S. Senate.
In 1873 he was elected by the legislature to represent the state of Iowa in the United
States Senate and was reelected in 1878, 1884, 1890, 1896, and 1902. From 1881–93 and again from 1895, he was chairman of
the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he had great
influence. He was also a member of the Senate Committee of Indian Affairs, and the Committee on Engrossed Bills, and was a cosponsor of the Bland-Allison
Act of 1878, which passed over the veto of President Rutherford B. Hayes. It
remained unchanged until the Sherman Act of 1890. He became chairman of the
Senate Republican Conference in 1897.
He was twice asked to serve as the Secretary of the Treasury,
first by President James Garfield, then by President Benjamin Harrison, and his name was floated up for the position of President of the United States.
Allison was married twice. The first marriage was to Anna Carter, who died in 1859, four years after the marriage. His second
marriage was to Mary Neally, who died in 1883, ten years after their marriage. Although Allison was a rich man, he did not spend
much time thinking about money-making; rather, he was very focused on public and political affairs.
At the time of his death, Allison still held his Senate seat, having been in the Senate for 35 consecutive years. He is
interred in Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque,
Iowa.
References
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