John Beard Allen papers, 1902-1903

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Allen, John Beard, 1845-1903
Title
John Beard Allen papers
Dates
1902-1903 (inclusive)
Quantity
6 items (1 folder)
Collection Number
4688 (Accession No. 4688-001)
Summary
Correspondence of John B. Allen regarding a court case involving Allen's son in Nome, Alaska
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

John B. Allen (1845-1903) was a lawyer, a delegate from the Washington Territory, and the first United States Senator for Washington State. An Indiana native, he had settled in Washington Territory by 1870. From 1875 to 1885, Allen served as the United States Attorney for the Territory. He was elected as the Republican delegate to Congress for the Washington Territory in 1889, and then as a United States Senator later that year. He served in the Senate until 1893, when the Washington legislature failed to elect a Senator. Allen moved to Seattle, where he returned to practicing law with the firm, Struve, Allen, Hughes & McMicken. His youngest son, George Hiram Allen (1879-1948) set out to Dawson, Alaska as part of the 1897 gold rush. In the spring of 1901, George H. Allen was convicted of an assault and robbery in Nome, Alaska. Up until the time of his sudden death, John B. Allen had worked to secure his son a new trial. George H. Allen ultimately was acquitted at a second trial in U.S. District Court in Alaska in 1903; he appears to have gone on to become a lawyer as well. His mother, Mrs. John B. Allen (the former Matilda Cecilia Bateman), herself ran as a Republican candidate for the United States Senate in 1916, mainly on a platform of women's suffrage.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The John Beard Allen correspondence regarding court case consisSet of six unsigned, carbon copies of letters concerning the arrest and prosecution of Allen's son, George H. Allen, for a robbery he allegedly committed in Nome, Alaska. The single 1902 letter from John B. Beard deals with his efforts to get a new trial for his son. The five other letters were written in May 1903 (after the untimely death of Allen in January 1903) by an unidentified party to Allen's widow, as well as to the Solicitor General of the United States, Henry M. Hoyt, and the United States Attorney General, Philander C. Knox; one of these letters contains a synopsis of the testimony delivered by an unreliable witness to the crime.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Lawyers--Washington (State)
  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
  • Trials (Robbery)--Alaska--Nome

Personal Names

  • Allen, George H., 1879-1948--Trials, litigation, etc
  • Allen, John B., Mrs
  • Allen, John Beard, 1845-1903--Correspondence
  • Hoyt, Henry M. (Henry Martyn), 1830-1892 --Correspondence
  • Knox, Philander C. (Philander Chase), 1853-1921 --Correspondence

Form or Genre Terms

  • Carbon copies
  • Correspondence

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Allen, John B., Mrs (creator)
    • Allen, John Beard, 1845-1903 (creator)