James Allen | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait,c. 1963 | |
| United States Senator fromAlabama | |
| In office January 3, 1969 – June 1, 1978 | |
| Preceded by | J. Lister Hill |
| Succeeded by | Maryon Pittman Allen |
| 17th and 20thLieutenant Governor of Alabama | |
| In office January 15, 1951 – January 17, 1955 | |
| Governor | Gordon Persons |
| Preceded by | James C. Inzer |
| Succeeded by | William G. Hardwick |
| In office January 14, 1963 – January 16, 1967 | |
| Governor | George Wallace |
| Preceded by | Albert B. Boutwell |
| Succeeded by | Albert Brewer |
| Member of theAlabama Senate | |
| In office 1946–1950 | |
| Member of theAlabama House of Representatives | |
| In office 1938–1942 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Browning Allen (1912-12-28)December 28, 1912 Gadsden, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | June 1, 1978(1978-06-01) (aged 65) Gulf Shores, Alabama, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forrest Cemetery in Gadsden, Alabama |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Marjorie Stephens (her death) (2)Maryon Pittman |
| Alma mater | University of Alabama University of Alabama School of Law |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Unit | Reserves |
James Browning Allen (December 28, 1912 – June 1, 1978) was an AmericanDemocratic politician serving asU.S. senator representingAlabama. Allen previously served as the lieutenant governor of Alabama and also served in the Alabama Senate and the Alabama House of Representatives.
Allen was succeeded in the U.S. Senate by his wife,Maryon Pittman Allen.
The Gadsden native attended theUniversity of Alabama and theUniversity of Alabama School of Law, both located inTuscaloosa. At the University of Alabama he was a member ofAlpha Sigma Phi. He practiced law in Gadsden from 1935 to 1968 and was a member of theAlabama House of Representatives from 1938 to 1942. He resigned from the state legislature to enter active duty in theUnited States Naval Reserve from 1943 to 1946. He again ran for office afterWorld War II and was a member of theAlabama Senate from 1946 to 1950. He was the 17th and 20thlieutenant governor of Alabama from 1951 to 1955 and again from 1963 to 1967.[1] During his first tenure, he asked theAlabama Legislature to reject federal funding and refuse to comply withschool integration following theBrown v. Board of Education decision. He ran forGovernor in1954, but lost in the Democratic primary to former GovernorJim Folsom. Constitutionally barred from a second consecutive term, he would later be elected once more in 1962, becoming the first Lieutenant Governor to be elected more than once. During his second term as Lieutenant Governor, Allen developed a strong political partnership with GovernorGeorge Wallace. He was an advocate ofracial segregation, and opposed theCivil Rights Act of 1964 and theVoting Rights Act of 1965. In 1964, he metMaryon Pittman Mullins, a journalist from theBirmingham News, for an interview. They quickly fell in love and married four months later.[2]
In 1968, James Allen was elected to succeed the retiring Democratic U.S. SenatorJ. Lister Hill ofMontgomery. Allen won 638,774 (76 percent) to 201,227 (24 percent) for hisRepublican opponent,Perry O. Hooper, Sr.
Allen was known as one of the mostconservative Democrats in the chamber. He was considerably more conservative even than many Republicans of the time. He was an active opponent of thePanama Canal Treaty of 1978. James Allen received one vote for the Republican vice-presidential nomination at the1976 Republican National Convention.[3][4]
In March 1974, Allen stated that GovernorGeorge Wallace would run in the 1976 Democratic primary and that he believed the Wallace campaign would seek to prevent a repeat of the previous election cycle where the popular vote was not translated into his support from delegates.[5]
Like his Republican Senate colleague,Jesse Helms ofNorth Carolina, Allen was a master ofparliamentary procedure. He was considered to have revived thefilibuster rule during his nearly ten years as a senator.[6] Following the 1974 midterm elections, Allen pledged to use filibusters against liberal officeholders in favor of large spending in the upcoming94th United States Congress, reasoning that some of the newly elected Democrats could favor larger spending than the members they had replaced: "I don't feel the voters have given any mandate toward increased expenditures. The people's wishes as indicated by the vote are for us to curtail unnecessary programs and cut Federal spending." It was thought at this time that James Allen "could emerge as a leader of the Senate's conservative bloc with the retirement of SenatorSam J. Ervin, Democrat ofNorth Carolina, and the aging of other conservatives".[7]
In December 1974, James Allen led a group of senators in an anti-busing filibuster against the removal of an amendment previously passed in theHouse of Representatives designed to curb Government enforcement of desegregation orders. The filibuster ended with a two–thirds majority voting 56 to 27 to end debate on language revising the amendment, marking only the 19th time a filibuster was ended in such a manner in Senate history. James Allen stated that the closure move would result in a legislative delay,Hugh Scott replying, "The supplemental is being delayed by the opposition of the Senator from Alabama to the Scott-Mansfield amendment."[8]
James Allen served in the Senate until his death of aheart attack on June 1, 1978, at the resort community ofGulf Shores, Alabama. He is interred at Forrest Cemetery in Gadsden. GovernorGeorge C. Wallace, under whom James Allen served previously as lieutenant governor, appointed Allen's widow,Maryon Pittman Allen, to succeed him in the Senate.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forLieutenant Governor of Alabama 1962 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromAlabama (Class 3) 1968,1974 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Alabama January 15, 1951–January 17, 1955 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Alabama January 14, 1963–January 16, 1967 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Alabama January 3, 1969–June 1, 1978 Served alongside:John J. Sparkman | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
