Allen, John (IL State Senator)

Born: 1791-1800

Died: 1841-06-29 Greene County, Illinois

In 1819, Allen settled in Greene County, Illinois, and quickly involved himself in local affairs. He was elected to the first County Commissioners' Court in 1821 and helped locate the county seat. A prosperous landowner, "Squire Allen" served as state senator from Greene County for two terms: 1836-37 and 1840-41; and as state representative for Greene and Calhoun counties for three terms: 1826-28, 1828-29, and 1838-40, when he served alongside Abraham Lincoln.

John Clayton, comp., The Illinois Fact Book and Historical Almanac, 1673-1968 (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1970), 200, 201, 204, 207, 208; History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois (Springfield, IL: Continental Historical, 1885), 567, 569, 578, 581-82, 593, 1061; History of Greene County, Illinois (Chicago: Donnelley, Gassette & Loyd, 1879), 239, 255.