William Johnston Allen

William Johnston Allen was born in Belfast, Ireland, the eldest child of Ruth Sayers Johnston and soap manufacturer William Bell Allen,{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |id2=allen-william-johnston-3311 |title=Allen, William Johnston (1839–1917) |first=G P |last=Walsh |access-date=8 October 2018 |year=1969}} later a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, as the member for Williams from 1860 until 1864.{{Cite NSW Parliament |id=382 |name=Mr William Bell Allen (1812-1869) |former=Yes |access-date=27 April 2019}} His father arrived in Sydney in 1841, and his mother brought William and his sister Eliza Allen, in 1844. When he grew older, William joined his father in the soap and candle business.

On 21 April 1868 he married Edith Isabella Crew; they had eight children.

William unsuccessfully stood for election to the Legislative Assembly for the district of Paddington, in 1880 for the then two member district,{{Cite NSW election |year=1880 |district=Paddington |access-date=29 April 2019}} 1882,{{Cite NSW election |year=1885 |district=Paddington |access-date=29 April 2019}} and 1887 as a member of the Protectionist Party. His brother Alfred also stood for Paddington in 1887 but for the Free Trade Party and was elected,{{Cite NSW Parliament |id=738 |name=Mr Alfred Allen (1839-1917) |former=Yes |access-date=27 April 2019}} second of three Free Trade members.{{Cite NSW election |title=1887 Election - Paddington |year=1887/Paddington |access-date=29 April 2019}}

In 1888 William was narrowly elected in a by-election for Paddington in 1888,{{Cite NSW Parliament |id=684 |name=Mr William Johnston Allen (1835-1915) |former=Yes |access-date=27 April 2019}}{{Cite NSW election |title=1888 Paddington by-election |year=1887 |district=Paddington_1 |access-date=29 April 2019}} in which three Free Trade members stood for the single vacancy, splitting the vote.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13681464 |title=The Paddington election |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=13 January 1888 |access-date=29 April 2019 |page=4 |via=Trove}} thereby sitting on the opposite side of the Legislative Assembly to Alfred. William was defeated in 1889 while Alfred was re-elected.{{Cite NSW election |year=1889 |district=Paddington |access-date=29 April 2019}} Alfred was re-elected in 1891 and William again campaigned unsuccessfully against him.{{Cite NSW election |year=1891 |district=Paddington |access-date=29 April 2019}}

In 1895 the brothers both stood for the single member district of Waverley, however neither were elected.{{Cite NSW election |year=1895 |district=Waverley |access-date=29 April 2019}}

Allen died in Waverley on {{death date and age|1915|6|12|1835|df=y}}.

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{{s-bef|before=William Trickett}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member for Paddington | years=1888–1889 |with=Alfred Allen |with2=John Neild}}

{{s-aft|after=Alfred Allen |after2=Robert King |after3=John Shepherd |after4=Jack Want}}

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Category:1835 births

Category:1915 deaths

Category:Colony of New South Wales politicians

Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

Category:Protectionist Party politicians