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{{Short description|American politician}}
''Not to be confused with [[Charles A. Allen (Los Angeles)|Charles A. Allen]], Los Angeles City Council member, 1941–47.''
{{Infobox officeholder
⚫
| name = Don A. Allen
| image = Don A. Allen, 1958.jpg
| caption = Allen in 1958
| birth_date = {{birth date|1907|5|13}}
| birth_place = [[Atlantic, Iowa]], US
| death_date = {{death date and age|1983|8|1|1900|5|13}}
| death_place = [[Sacramento, California]], US
| state_assembly = California
| district = [[California's 63rd State Assembly district|63rd]]
| term = September 13, 1956 – January 2, 1967
| preceded = [[G. Delbert Morris]]
| succeeded = [[Yvonne Brathwaite Burke]]
| term1 = January 2, 1939 – June 20, 1947
| preceded1 = Ralph Lewis Welsh
| succeeded1 = [[G. Delbert Morris]]
| office3 = Member of the [[Los Angeles City Council]] from the [[Los Angeles City Council District 7|7th]] district
| term_start3 = July 1, 1947
| term_end3 = September 13, 1956
| predecessor3 = [[Carl C. Rasmussen]]
| successor3 = [[James C. Corman]]
| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse = Margaret Sachs
| children = Don A. Jr.
| education = [[University of Southern California]]<br />[[Caltech]]
| branch = {{flag|United States Marine Corps}}
⚫
}}


'''Don A. Allen,''' also known as '''Don A. Allen, Sr.''', was a member of the California State Assembly in the 1940s and 1950s and of the Los Angeles City Council between 1947 and 1956.
'''Don A. Allen Sr.''' (May 13, 1907 – August 1, 1983) was a member of the [[California State Assembly]] in the 1940s and 1950s and of the [[Los Angeles City Council]] between 1947 and 1956.


==Biography==
==Biography==


⚫
Allen was born on May 13, 1907, in [[Atlantic, Iowa]], the son of Thomas Allen of [[Missouri]] and Lillian M. Allen of [[Potosi, Wisconsin]]. He attended public schools in Iowa and Nebraska, where he studied [[civil engineering]], and completed courses in engineering science and war training at the [[University of Southern California]] and [[Caltech]]. He was married to Margaret Sachs or Margaret H. Rogers of [[Detmold, Germany]]; they had a son, Don A. Allen Jr. Both Allens were in the U.S. Marines, the elder serving in the [[Augusto César Sandino|Haitian campaign of 1927 against the Sandino Rebellion]].<ref name=LibraryFile>[http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/03/414.pdf Los Angeles Public Library reference file]</ref><ref name=JoinCalifornia>[http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/5548 JoinCalifornia website, citing other sources]</ref>
[[File:Don-A-Allen-Los-Angeles-City-Council.tiff|thumb|left|upright|<center>Allen</center>]]
{{TOC right|limit=4}}
⚫
Allen was born on May 13, 1900 or 1907, in [[Atlantic, Iowa]], the son of Thomas Allen of [[Missouri]] and Lillian M. Allen of [[Potosi, Wisconsin]]. He attended public schools in Iowa and Nebraska, where he studied [[civil engineering]], and completed courses in engineering science and war training at the [[University of Southern California]] and [[Caltech]]. He was married to Margaret Sachs or Margaret H. Rogers of [[Detmold, Germany]]; they had a son, Don A. Allen, Jr. Both Allens were in the U.S. Marines, the elder serving in the [[Augusto César Sandino|Haitian campaign of 1927 against the Sandino Rebellion]].<ref name=LibraryFile>[http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/03/414.pdf Los Angeles Public Library reference file]</ref><ref name=JoinCalifornia>[http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/5548 JoinCalifornia website, citing other sources]</ref>


Allen was a member of the [[Veterans of Foreign Wars]], the [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks|Elks Lodge]], [[Rotary International|Rotary]] and the [[United Commercial Travelers]]. He attended [[McCarty Memorial Christian Church]].<ref name=LibraryFile/>
Allen was a member of the [[Veterans of Foreign Wars]], the [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks|Elks Lodge]], [[Rotary International|Rotary]] and the [[United Commercial Travelers]]. He attended [[McCarty Memorial Christian Church]].<ref name=LibraryFile/>


He died in August 1983 in Sacramento, California.<ref name=JoinCalifornia/>
He died in August 1983 in Oceanside, California.<ref name=JoinCalifornia/>


==Public service==
==Public service==
Line 22: Line 47:


===City Council===
===City Council===

====Elections====
====Elections====


⚫
Allen was elected to represent [[Los Angeles City Council District 7]] in 1947, defeating the incumbent, [[Carl C. Rasmussen]]. He was reelected in 1949, 1951, 1953 and 1955. Between 1937 and 1956 the district was bounded on the west by Crenshaw Boulevard, on the north by Exposition Boulevard, on the east by the city boundary with [[Vernon, California|Vernon]] and on the south by Vernon Avenue.<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/164642106 "New Council Zones Defined," ''Los Angeles Times,'' January 7, 1937, page A-18]</ref><ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/165123125 "Proposed New Alignment for City Voting Precincts" (with map), ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 30, 1940, page A-3]</ref> In 1947 it was noted that the district's population was "nearly 50 per cent Negro."<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/165745695 "Voters to Decide Issues Tuesday," ''Los Angeles Times,'' May 25, 1947, page A-2]</ref> In 1957, after Allen's resignation, the district was moved bodily to the [[San Fernando Valley]].<ref name=CouncilVotes>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/167018265 "Council Votes Redistricting After Flare-up Over Changes," ''Los Angeles Times,'' October 24, 1956, page B-1]</ref>
''See also [[List_of_Los_Angeles_municipal_election_returns#1947|List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1947 and following]].''

⚫
Allen was elected to represent [[Los Angeles City Council District 7]] in 1947, defeating the incumbent, [[Carl C. Rasmussen]]. He was reelected in 1949, 1951, 1953 and 1955. Between 1937 and 1956 the district was bounded on the west by Crenshaw Boulevard, on the north by Exposition Boulevard, on the east by the city boundary with [[Vernon, California|Vernon]] and on the south by Vernon Avenue.<ref>[http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/pqdweb?did=394813371&sid=1&Fmt=10&clientId=13322&RQT=309&VName=HNP "New Council Zones Defined," ''Los Angeles Times,'' January 7, 1937, page A-18]</ref><ref>[http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/pqdweb?did=410578151&sid=5&Fmt=10&clientId=13322&RQT=309&VName=HNP "Proposed New Alignment for City Voting Precincts" (with map), ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 30, 1940, page A-3]</ref> In 1947 it was noted that the district's population was "nearly 50 per cent Negro."<ref>[http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/hnplatimes/docview/165745695/13134EAD86F5E7C3E3F/31?accountid=6749 "Voters to Decide Issues Tuesday," ''Los Angeles Times,'' May 25, 1947, page A-2]</ref> In 1957, after Allen's resignation, the district was moved bodily to the [[San Fernando Valley]].<ref name=CouncilVotes>[http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/pqdweb?did=436682432&sid=30&Fmt=10&clientId=13322&RQT=309&VName=HNP "Council Votes Redistricting After Flare-up Over Changes," ''Los Angeles Times,'' October 24, 1956, page B-1]</ref>


====Positions====
====Positions====


'''Voting machines, 1948.''' Allen introduced a resolution that [[voting machines]] be installed "as a substitute for election boards" because "they would "eliminate the human error potential in tabulating returns."<ref>[http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/hnplatimes/docview/165889692/131E251AEBB7FF3A1F7/24?accountid=6749 "Councilman Allen Asks City Voting Machines," ''Los Angeles Times,'' June 22, 1948, page 3]</ref>
'''Voting machines, 1948.''' Allen introduced a resolution that [[voting machines]] be installed "as a substitute for election boards" because "they would "eliminate the human error potential in tabulating returns."<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/165889692 "Councilman Allen Asks City Voting Machines," ''Los Angeles Times,'' June 22, 1948, page 3]</ref>


'''Juveniles, 1950.''' The council adopted his motion asking the Police Department what was being done to enforce [[Curfew#United_States|curfew laws]]. He said it was his opinion that if policemen were "equipped with a good old-fashioned hair brush, which could be applied to some of these kids," there might be a lessening of juvenile crime. But Councilman [[Edward R. Roybal]] disagreed, noting that most of the "hoodlums" were over 21 and recommending closer cooperation by the police with agencies "dealing with youth problems."<ref>[http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/hnplatimes/docview/166078948/131E25D02F8392C47CF/61?accountid=6749 "Council Raises Question on Curfew Law," ''Los Angeles Times,'' April 26, 1950, page 13]</ref>
'''Juveniles, 1950.''' The council adopted his motion asking the Police Department what was being done to enforce [[Curfew#United States|curfew laws]]. He said it was his opinion that if policemen were "equipped with a good old-fashioned hair brush, which could be applied to some of these kids," there might be a lessening of juvenile crime. But Councilman [[Edward R. Roybal]] disagreed, noting that most of the "hoodlums" were over 21 and recommending closer cooperation by the police with agencies "dealing with youth problems."<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/166078948 "Council Raises Question on Curfew Law," ''Los Angeles Times,'' April 26, 1950, page 13]</ref>


'''Rent decontrol, 1950–51.''' Allen and Councilman [[Ed J. Davenport]] were leaders of a drive asking the federal government to lift wartime [[rent controls]] on rentals in the city, and when the City Council voted in favor, petitions were circulated to recall the two men.<ref>[http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/hnplatimes/docview/166128116/131E24A608593BDCCF/4?accountid=6749# "Tenants Start Recall Movement," ''Los Angeles Times,'' August 3, 1950, page 8]</ref> When the federal government declined to lift the controls, an "explosive situation" of "near-riot proportions" broke out in the City Council chamber, with Allen threatening to "break every bone" in the head of the chairman of a [[Tenant rights|Tenants Council]].<ref>[http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/hnplatimes/docview/166115320/131E25D02F8392C47CF/50?accountid=6749 "Near-Riot Scenes Mark Rent Session," ''Los Angeles Times,'' October 25, 1950, page 1]</ref> The next year, though, after the controls had been lifted, he called for imposition of new limits unless "rent gougers" ceased imposing increases of 50% to 100%.<ref>[http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/hnplatimes/docview/166177767/131E25D02F8392C47CF/9?accountid=6749 "New City Rent Control Move Threatened," ''Los Angeles Times,'' January 6, 1951, page 1]</ref>
'''Rent decontrol, 1950–51.''' Allen and Councilman [[Ed J. Davenport]] were leaders of a drive asking the federal government to lift wartime [[rent controls]] on rentals in the city, and when the City Council voted in favor, petitions were circulated to recall the two men.<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/166128116 "Tenants Start Recall Movement," ''Los Angeles Times,'' August 3, 1950, page 8]</ref> When the federal government declined to lift the controls, an "explosive situation" of "near-riot proportions" broke out in the City Council chamber, with Allen threatening to "break every bone" in the head of the chairman of a [[Tenant rights|Tenants Council]].<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/166115320 "Near-Riot Scenes Mark Rent Session," ''Los Angeles Times,'' October 25, 1950, page 1]</ref> The next year, though, after the controls had been lifted, he called for imposition of new limits unless "rent gougers" ceased imposing increases of 50% to 100%.<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/166177767 "New City Rent Control Move Threatened," ''Los Angeles Times,'' January 6, 1951, page 1]</ref>


'''Small business, 1951.''' He blasted the federal government price regulations because:
'''Small business, 1951.''' He blasted the federal government price regulations because:


<blockquote>In my district (south central section of the city) scores of small businesses are folding up. They can't take it any longer. They are being regulated to death; they're quitting and getting a job in defense industry rather than face the maze of directives that they can't understand and that local Federal offices can't seem to interpret.<ref>[http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/hnplatimes/docview/166269857/131E24A608593BDCCF/3?accountid=6749 "Ruin of Small Businesses by Federal Controls Blasted," ''Los Angeles Times,'' October 17, 1951, page A-1]</ref> </blockquote>
<blockquote>In my district (south central section of the city) scores of small businesses are folding up. They can't take it any longer. They are being regulated to death; they're quitting and getting a job in defense industry rather than face the maze of directives that they can't understand and that local Federal offices can't seem to interpret.<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/166269857 "Ruin of Small Businesses by Federal Controls Blasted," ''Los Angeles Times,'' October 17, 1951, page A-1]</ref> </blockquote>


'''Chavez Ravine, 1954.''' Allen supported a $40 million bond issue to not only build a baseball stadium in [[Chavez Ravine]] but also construct a zoo and golf course there.<ref>[http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/hnplatimes/docview/166710631/131E25D02F8392C47CF/35?accountid=6749# "Councilman Out to Revive Bond Issue for Park," ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 4, 1954, page C-3]</ref>
'''Chavez Ravine, 1954.''' Allen supported a $40 million bond issue to not only build a baseball stadium in [[Chavez Ravine]] but also construct a zoo and golf course there.<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/166710631 "Councilman Out to Revive Bond Issue for Park," ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 4, 1954, page C-3]</ref>


==References==
==References==
⚫
{{Reflist}}


== Further reading ==
Access to the ''Los Angeles Times'' links may require the use of a library card.
*[https://archive.org/details/onemanonevote00rowlrich Oral History interview]

==External links==
*[http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/5548 Join California Don A. Allen Sr.]


⚫
{{Reflist}}
----
{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box | before = [[Carl C. Rasmussen]] | title = [[Los Angeles City Council]]<br>[[Los Angeles City Council District 7|7th District]] | years = 1947–1956 | after = [[James C. Corman]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Carl C. Rasmussen]] | title = [[Los Angeles City Council]]<br />[[Los Angeles City Council District 7|7th District]] | years = 1947–1956 | after = [[James C. Corman]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata
⚫
| NAME = Allen, Don A.
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American politician
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1900
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = 1983
| PLACE OF DEATH =
⚫
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Don A.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Don A.}}
[[Category:Los Angeles City Council members]]
[[Category:Los Angeles City Council members]]
[[Category:Members of the California State Assembly]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly]]
[[Category:People from Cass County, Iowa]]
[[Category:People from Atlantic, Iowa]]
[[Category:University of Southern California alumni]]
[[Category:USC Viterbi School of Engineering alumni]]
[[Category:California Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:California Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1983 deaths]]
[[Category:1983 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American legislators]]
[[Category:20th-century California politicians]]

Latest revision as of 00:33, 8 July 2024

Don A. Allen
Allen in 1958
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 63rd district
In office
September 13, 1956 – January 2, 1967
Preceded byG. Delbert Morris
Succeeded byYvonne Brathwaite Burke
In office
January 2, 1939 – June 20, 1947
Preceded byRalph Lewis Welsh
Succeeded byG. Delbert Morris
Member of the Los Angeles City Council from the 7th district
In office
July 1, 1947 – September 13, 1956
Preceded byCarl C. Rasmussen
Succeeded byJames C. Corman
Personal details
Born(1907-05-13)May 13, 1907
Atlantic, Iowa, US
DiedAugust 1, 1983(1983-08-01) (aged 83)
Sacramento, California, US
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMargaret Sachs
ChildrenDon A. Jr.
BildungUniversity of Southern California
Caltech
Military service
Branch/service United States Marine Corps

Don A. Allen Sr. (May 13, 1907 – August 1, 1983) was a member of the California State Assembly in the 1940s and 1950s and of the Los Angeles City Council between 1947 and 1956.

Biography

[edit]

Allen was born on May 13, 1907, in Atlantic, Iowa, the son of Thomas Allen of Missouri and Lillian M. Allen of Potosi, Wisconsin. He attended public schools in Iowa and Nebraska, where he studied civil engineering, and completed courses in engineering science and war training at the University of Southern California and Caltech. He was married to Margaret Sachs or Margaret H. Rogers of Detmold, Germany; they had a son, Don A. Allen Jr. Both Allens were in the U.S. Marines, the elder serving in the Haitian campaign of 1927 against the Sandino Rebellion.[1][2]

Allen was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Elks Lodge, Rotary and the United Commercial Travelers. He attended McCarty Memorial Christian Church.[1]

He died in August 1983 in Oceanside, California.[2]

Public service

[edit]

In the 1920s he was an investigator for Los Angeles County District Attorney Thomas Woolwine.[2]

State Assembly

[edit]

Allen was elected to the State Assembly in 1938 and was reelected in 1940, 1942 and 1944. He was a member of the State Council of Defense and the State War Council.[1] He resigned on June 20, 1947, to assume the duties of a Los Angeles City Council member. In June 1956 he was reelected to the Assembly in a special election but instead remained on the council and declined to serve in the Assembly until after the regular election in November 1958. The Legislature did not meet until 1959, when he took his seat. Allen was the author of The Source Book on the California Legislature, published in 1965, and as a result the entire Legislature named him "California Legislative Historian for Life."[2]

City Council

[edit]

Elections

[edit]

Allen was elected to represent Los Angeles City Council District 7 in 1947, defeating the incumbent, Carl C. Rasmussen. He was reelected in 1949, 1951, 1953 and 1955. Between 1937 and 1956 the district was bounded on the west by Crenshaw Boulevard, on the north by Exposition Boulevard, on the east by the city boundary with Vernon and on the south by Vernon Avenue.[3][4] In 1947 it was noted that the district's population was "nearly 50 per cent Negro."[5] In 1957, after Allen's resignation, the district was moved bodily to the San Fernando Valley.[6]

Positions

[edit]

Voting machines, 1948. Allen introduced a resolution that voting machines be installed "as a substitute for election boards" because "they would "eliminate the human error potential in tabulating returns."[7]

Juveniles, 1950. The council adopted his motion asking the Police Department what was being done to enforce curfew laws. He said it was his opinion that if policemen were "equipped with a good old-fashioned hair brush, which could be applied to some of these kids," there might be a lessening of juvenile crime. But Councilman Edward R. Roybal disagreed, noting that most of the "hoodlums" were over 21 and recommending closer cooperation by the police with agencies "dealing with youth problems."[8]

Rent decontrol, 1950–51. Allen and Councilman Ed J. Davenport were leaders of a drive asking the federal government to lift wartime rent controls on rentals in the city, and when the City Council voted in favor, petitions were circulated to recall the two men.[9] When the federal government declined to lift the controls, an "explosive situation" of "near-riot proportions" broke out in the City Council chamber, with Allen threatening to "break every bone" in the head of the chairman of a Tenants Council.[10] The next year, though, after the controls had been lifted, he called for imposition of new limits unless "rent gougers" ceased imposing increases of 50% to 100%.[11]

Small business, 1951. He blasted the federal government price regulations because:

In my district (south central section of the city) scores of small businesses are folding up. They can't take it any longer. They are being regulated to death; they're quitting and getting a job in defense industry rather than face the maze of directives that they can't understand and that local Federal offices can't seem to interpret.[12]

Chavez Ravine, 1954. Allen supported a $40 million bond issue to not only build a baseball stadium in Chavez Ravine but also construct a zoo and golf course there.[13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Los Angeles Public Library reference file
  2. ^ a b c d JoinCalifornia website, citing other sources
  3. ^ "New Council Zones Defined," Los Angeles Times, January 7, 1937, page A-18
  4. ^ "Proposed New Alignment for City Voting Precincts" (with map), Los Angeles Times, November 30, 1940, page A-3
  5. ^ "Voters to Decide Issues Tuesday," Los Angeles Times, May 25, 1947, page A-2
  6. ^ "Council Votes Redistricting After Flare-up Over Changes," Los Angeles Times, October 24, 1956, page B-1
  7. ^ "Councilman Allen Asks City Voting Machines," Los Angeles Times, June 22, 1948, page 3
  8. ^ "Council Raises Question on Curfew Law," Los Angeles Times, April 26, 1950, page 13
  9. ^ "Tenants Start Recall Movement," Los Angeles Times, August 3, 1950, page 8
  10. ^ "Near-Riot Scenes Mark Rent Session," Los Angeles Times, October 25, 1950, page 1
  11. ^ "New City Rent Control Move Threatened," Los Angeles Times, January 6, 1951, page 1
  12. ^ "Ruin of Small Businesses by Federal Controls Blasted," Los Angeles Times, October 17, 1951, page A-1
  13. ^ "Councilman Out to Revive Bond Issue for Park," Los Angeles Times, November 4, 1954, page C-3

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Preceded by Los Angeles City Council
7th District
1947–1956 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Don_A._Allen&oldid=1233233405"