William Allen

William Allen
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 7th district
In office March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835
Preceded by	Samuel Finley Vinton
Succeeded by	William K. Bond
United States Senator from Ohio
In office March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1849
Preceded by	Thomas Ewing
Succeeded by	Salmon P. Chase
31st Governor of Ohio
In office January 12, 1874 – January 10, 1876
Lieutenant	Alphonso Hart
Preceded by	Edward F. Noyes
Succeeded by	Rutherford B. Hayes
Born	December 18 or 27, 1803 (2009-12-18) Edenton, North Carolina
Died	July 11, 1879 (1879-07-12)
Political party	Democratic

William Allen (December 18 or 27, 1803– July 11, 1879) was a Democratic Representative and Senator from the U.S. state of Ohio, as well as Governor of Ohio.

Allen was born in Edenton, North Carolina. His sister, Mary Granberry Allen, married Pleasant Thurman, and their son, Allen G. Thurman, followed in his uncle's footsteps, becoming a lawyer and politician. Allen moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1819 and he and his sister lived there together.

He served as a Representative from Ohio from 1832 to 1834, when he lost a bid for re-election, and Senator from Ohio from 1837 to 1849, losing a bid for a third term in 1848. Allen then retired to his farm, "Fruit Hill", near Chillicothe, Ohio, and did not return to public service for nearly a quarter century. He served as Governor of Ohio from 1874 to 1876. He unsuccessfully sought a second two-year term in an 1875 election.

While in the Senate, Allen was one of a group of Western Democrat expansionists who asserted that the U.S. had a valid claim to the entire Oregon Country, which was an issue during the 1844 U.S. presidential election. By January 1846 the Democratic press had popularized Allen's slogan "Fifty-four Forty or Fight". This slogan suggested that the United States should be prepared to go to war with the United Kingdom in order to move the Oregon border north to annex the entire Oregon Country up to Russian-owned Alaska at latitude 54°40′N (fifty-four forty).

William Allen is one of Ohio's statues donated to the National Statuary Collection. He stands in National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol.

Allen is buried in Grandview Cemetery, Chillicothe.

v • d • e United States Senators from Ohio Class 1 Smith • Meigs • Worthington • Kerr • Ruggles • Morris • Tappan • Corwin • Ewing • Wade • Thurman • Sherman • Hanna • Dick • Pomerene • Fess • Donahey • H. Burton • Huffman • K. Taft • Bricker • Young • R. Taft, Jr. • Metzenbaum • DeWine • S. Brown Class 3 Worthington • Tiffin • Griswold • Campbell • Morrow • Trimble • E. Brown • Harrison • Burnet • Ewing • Allen • Chase • Pugh • Chase • Sherman • Matthews • Pendleton • Payne • Brice • Foraker • T. Burton • Harding • Willis • Locher • T. Burton • McCulloch • Bulkley • R. Taft, Sr. • Burke • Bender • Lausche • Saxbe • Metzenbaum • Glenn • Voinovich

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