Samuel Clesson Allen (January 5, 1772 – February 8, 1842) was a U.S. politician fromMassachusetts during the first third of the 19th century. He began his career as a member of theFederalist Party, but later became a staunch supporter ofDemocratic presidentsAndrew Jackson andMartin Van Buren.

Allen was born inBernardston in theProvince of Massachusetts Bay and schooled in nearbyNew Salem. He was descended from Edward Allen (1640–1696), who was born in England and settled in theConnecticut Colony.^[2] He graduated fromDartmouth College in 1794, and was ordained as a Congregational minister. After serving three years in the pulpit, Allen began to study law, and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1800.

Allen began his career in politics in 1806, when he was elected to theMassachusetts House of Representatives. He served in the House until 1810, then served in theMassachusetts Senate from 1812 to 1815. A year after leaving the state senate, he was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives, where he sat as a Federalist from 1817 to 1829. He was a noted supporter of theJohn Quincy Adams administration.

After returning to Massachusetts, Allen became affected by the plight of western Massachusetts farmers and laborers, whose lives were being upended by industrialization. As a result of his observations and concerns, Allen became a vocal supporter of the Massachusetts Workingmen's Party, and was the party's unsuccessful nominee for state governor in 1833 and 1834.

Allen died inNorthfield, Massachusetts, and was buried in Bernardston.

Allen's son,Elisha Hunt Allen, also served in theUnited States Congress.

• United States Congress."Samuel Clesson Allen (id: A000146)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Schlesinger, Arthur M, Jr.The Age of Jackson. Boston : Little, Brown, 1953 [1945].

• 1772 births
• 1842 deaths
• People from Bernardston, Massachusetts
• American people of English descent
• American Congregationalist ministers
• Federalist Party United States representatives from Massachusetts
• National Republican Party United States representatives from Massachusetts
• Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
• Massachusetts state senators
• Dartmouth College alumni
• 19th-century United States representatives
• 19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from July 2020