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Raymond B. Allen was born on August 7, 1902 in Cathay, North Dakota. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Minnesota in 1928 and began his career as a general medical practitioner in North Dakota shortly thereafter. He later became the Dean of the medical schools of the University of Illinois and Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan). Mr. Allen became the president of University of Washington in 1946 and served until 1951.

Raymond Allen was president during the "red scare" years. President Allen declared there would be no "witch hunt" for Communism; however, three professors were dismissed, and three more put on probation for Communist ties. In 1951, he stepped down to serve as the director of the Psychological Strategy Board. One year later he headed the University of California at Los Angeles, where he remained until 1959. Following that, he held a number of jobs, both in the United States and abroad. He retired in the 1980s, and died on March 15, 1986.