Heman Allen (of Colchester)

{{About|the politician from Colchester, Vermont|other people|Heman Allen (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name= Heman Allen

|image= Heman Allen - Sheriff und US Politiker.jpg

|state1 = Vermont

|district1 = {{ushr|VT|AL|at-large}}

|term_start1 = March 4, 1817

|term_end1 = April 20, 1818

|predecessor1 = Asa Lyon

|successor1 = William Strong

|order2 =1st

|office2 = United States Ambassador to Chile

|term_start2 = January 27, 1823

|term_end2 = July 31, 1827

|predecessor2 = None

|successor2 = Samuel Larned

|office3 = United States Marshal for the District of Vermont

|term_start3 = December 14, 1818

|term_end3 = March 2, 1823

|preceded3 = David Robinson

|succeeded3 = Joseph Edson

|office4 = Member of the Vermont House of Representatives

|term4 = 1812-1817

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1779|2|23|mf=y}}

|birth_place = Poultney, Vermont Republic

|death_date = {{Death date and age|1852|4|7|1779|2|23|mf=y}}

|death_place = Highgate, Vermont, U.S.

|resting_place = Greenmount Cemetery, Burlington, Vermont

|spouse = Elizabeth Laura Hart (m. 1823–1834, her death)
Eliza Davis Fay (m. 1844–1852, his death)

|children = 4

|profession = Lawyer

|alma_mater = Dartmouth College

|party = Democratic-Republican
National Republican
Whig

}}

Heman Allen (February 23, 1779{{spnd}}April 7, 1852) was an American lawyer, politician and ambassador from Colchester, Vermont. He served as a U.S. Representative and as America's first United States Minister Plenipotentiary to Chile.

Biography

Allen was born in Poultney, Vermont Republic on February 23, 1779, the son of Heber Allen (1743–1782) and Sarah (Owen) Allen (1748–1787). He attended the common schools, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1795. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1801.{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=127671/| title = Allen, Herman | publisher= Our Campaigns |access-date= November 26, 2012}} He began the practice of law in Colchester, Vermont.

He was town clerk of Colchester from 1807 until 1817. He served as Sheriff of Chittenden County from 1808 until 1810,{{cite web|url= http://www.chittendencountysheriff.com/ccsd_history.html/|title= Chittenden County Sherriff's Department|publisher= Chittenden County Sherriff’s Department|access-date= November 26, 2012|archive-date= October 10, 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171010034527/http://www.chittendencountysheriff.com/ccsd_history.html|url-status= dead}} when he was succeeded by Heman Lowry.{{cite book |last=Carleton |first=Hiram |date=1903 |title=Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont |volume=II |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_3wjt3eoLPF4C/page/n29 |location=New York, NY |publisher=The Lewis Publishing Company |via=Internet Archive |pages=15–16 |ref={{sfnRef|Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont}}}} Allen was Chief Justice of the Chittenden County court from 1811 until 1814. He was treasurer of the University of Vermont in 1815.

Allen served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1812 until 1817.{{cite web|url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/allen4.html#175.00.06/| title = Allen, Heman, of Colchester (1779-1852) | publisher= The Political Graveyard |access-date= November 26, 2012}} While in the State House he received the appointment of quartermaster of militia, with the rank of Brigadier general.{{cite web|url= http://www.history50states.com/VT-Rutland-Poultney/| title = History of Poultney, (Rutland County) Vermont

| publisher= Our Family THistory50States.com |access-date= November 26, 2012}} He was elected as a Democratic-Republican candidate to the Fifteenth Congress, serving from March 4, 1817, until his resignation on April 20, 1818.{{cite web|url= http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/heman_allen/400778| title= Rep. Heman "of Colchester" Allen |publisher=Govtrack.us |access-date= November 26, 2012}} Allen resigned from Congress to become United States Marshal for the district of Vermont on December 14, 1818; he was reappointed on December 24, 1822.{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=127671/| title = Allen, Herman| publisher= Our Campaigns |access-date= November 26, 2012}} Allen was the agent for paying pensioners in 1819.

He was appointed by President James Monroe as America's first United States Minister Plenipotentiary to the new republic of Chile beginning on January 27, 1823.{{cite web|url= http://www.eafsd.org/individuals/556/| title = Herman Allen | publisher= The Early American Foreign Service Database |access-date= November 26, 2012}} Allen continued in Chile as minister until July 31, 1827.{{cite web|url= https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/allen-heman| title= HEMAN ALLEN (1779-1852) |publisher=US Department of the State |access-date= November 26, 2012}}

In 1829, Allen was the unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate of the new Anti-Masonic Party, which supported him though he had not indicated whether he supported the party or its platform.{{cite book |editor1-last=Walton |editor1-first=E. P. |editor1-link=Eliakim Persons Walton |date=1879 |title=Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont |volume=VII |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3p06AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA347 |location=Montpelier, VT |publisher=J. & J. M. Poland |pages=346–347 |via=Google Books}} Allen was the unsuccessful National Republican Party candidate in 1831.{{cite web|url=http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/ALLEN/2008-06/1212970142/| title = ALLEN-L Archives| publisher= Ancestry.com |access-date= November 26, 2012}} He served as president of the Burlington branch of the United States Bank from 1830 until the expiration of its charter in 1836.{{cite web|url= http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=A000122|title=ALLEN, Heman (of Colchester), (1779 - 1852)|publisher= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date= November 26, 2012}} Following the expiration of the bank's charter, he resumed the practice of law in Highgate.

Personal life

When Allen was making arrangements for passage to Chile, he met Elizabeth Hart, the sister-in-law of Isaac Hull. They married before Allen left for his diplomatic mission. She died in 1834, as did their daughter Jeanette.

In 1844, Allen married Eliza Davis Fay. They were the parents of three daughters and a son.{{cite web|url=http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/ALLEN/2008-06/1212970142/| title = ALLEN-L Archives| publisher= Ancestry.com |access-date= November 26, 2012}}

Allen was the nephew of Ira Allen and Ethan Allen. He was the distant cousin of Heman Allen (of Milton).{{cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=A000123|title=ALLEN, Heman (of Milton), (1777 - 1844)|publisher= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date= December 7, 2012 }}{{cite book|last=Duffy|first=John J.|title=The Vermont Encyclopedia|year=2003|publisher=UPNE|pages=38|isbn=9781584650867|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uTBCXqOou0YC&q=heman+allen+milton+vermont&pg=PA38}} To distinguish between them, Allen was often referred to as Heman Allen (of Colchester) or "Chile Allen" (sometimes "Chili"), while his cousin was called Heman Allen (of Milton).{{cite book |last=Lanman |first=Charles |date=1886 |title=Haphazard Personalities: Chiefly of Noted Americans |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-g-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA105 |location=New York |publisher=Charles T. Dillingham |page=105 |via=Google Books}}

Death

Allen died on April 7, 1852, in Highgate. He in interred at Greenmount Cemetery in Burlington.{{cite book|last=Spencer|first=Thomas E.|title=Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than 20,000 Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People Who Were Cremated|year=2009|publisher=Genealogical Publishing Com|pages=308|isbn=9780806348230|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eLWao2lIGTEC&q=herman+allen+vermont+us+representative&pg=PA308}}

References

==External links==

[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=A000122 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]
{{cite BDA1906 |wstitle= Allen, Heman (lawyer) |volume= 1 |pages= 84 |short=1}}
[http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/ALLEN/2008-06/1212970142 Ancestry.com]
[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/allen4.html#175.00.06 The Political Graveyard]
[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/heman_allen/400778 Govtrack.us]
{{Find a Grave|13355724}}

{{s-ttl|title=National Republican nominee for Governor of Vermont|years=1829}}

{{s-ttl|title=Anti-Masonic nominee for Governor of Vermont|years=1831}}

{{US House succession box

| state = Vermont

| district = AL

| before = Asa Lyon

| after = William Strong

| years = 4 March 1817–20 April 1818

}}

{{s-non

| reason = United States recognized
Chilean Independence

}}