Know Your History: Harris County political leader Richard Allen

As we approach yet another round of voting, we want to highlight a little known politician who made major strides as an African American right here in Harris County. In this week’s “Know Your History,” we introduce you to political and civic leader Richard Allen. Allen was born a slave in Richmond, Virginia on June 10, 1830. He was brought to Texas in 1837 and ultimately to Harris County, where he was owned by J. J. Cain until emancipation in 1865. While a slave, he earned a reputation as a skilled carpenter and is credited with designing and building the mansion of Houston mayor Joseph R. Morris. After emancipation, Allen became a contractor and bridge builder and at times a commission agent and saloon owner. Although he was without a formal education, he became literate by 1870. Allen entered politics as a federal voter registrar in 1867. In 1868, he served as an agent of the Freedmen’s Bureau and as the supervisor of voter registration for the Fourteenth District of Texas. He also participated in the organization of the Republican party in Harris County. After assuming an active role in the Radical Republican meeting that nominated Edmund J. Davis for governor in 1869, Allen was elected to the Twelfth Legislature that November and became one of the first and most active Black legislators. As a representative of the Fourteenth District, which included Harris and Montgomery counties, he advocated general measures for education, law enforcement, and civil rights. In 1870, he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for United States Congress. In 1871, the Union League, which supported the Republican party, made him one of its vice presidents. Allen apparently was reelected to the legislature in 1873, but the House seated his Democratic opponent, who contested the election. Allen remained a leader of the Republican party in Houston, at state conventions, and as a delegate to national conventions through 1896. He was elected street commissioner in Houston as an independent candidate in January 1878 and served for one term. Later that year, the conservative wing of the Republican party nominated him for […]

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