Philip ALLEN, Congress, RI (1785-1865)

ALLEN Philip , a Senator from Rhode Island; born in Providence, R.I., September 1, 1785; received his early education from private tutors; attended Taunton Academy and Robert Rogers School at Newport; graduated from Rhode Island College (now Brown University) in 1803; engaged in mercantile pursuits and foreign commerce; when shipping was suspended during the War of 1812 he engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods in Smithfield, R.I.; member of the State house of representatives 1819-1821; appointed pension agent and president of the Rhode Island branch of the United States Bank in 1827; continued the manufacture of cotton goods and began the printing of calicos at Providence, R.I., in 1831; elected Governor of Rhode Island in 1851; reelected in 1852 and 1853, and served until July 20, 1853, when he resigned to become Senator; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate on May 4, 1853, for the term beginning March 4, 1853, and served from July 20, 1853, to March 3, 1859; was not a candidate for reelection; chairman, Committee on Agriculture (Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth Congresses); retired from active political and business pursuits; died in Providence, R.I., December 16, 1865; interment in the North Burial Ground.

Bibliography

American National Biography; Dictionary of American Biography.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present