Difference between revisions of "William B. Allison"
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Revision as of 19:08, November 21, 2021
William Boyd Allison (March 2, 1829 – August 4, 1908), sometimes referred to as W. B. Allison, was a Republican from northeastern Iowa who represented the state's 3rd congressional district for four terms and served from the Class III Senate seat from 1873 until his death in 1908.
Background
Allison was born near Ashland, Ohio to John Allison and the former Margaret Williams. Shaped in his youth by Presbyterian faith, involvement in Whig politics, and pursuing success, he moved to Pennsylvania with his family at one point.[1]
In 1854, Allison married the former Anna Carter, who was among the wealthy residents of Ashland.[1] After she died five years later, he would later wed a second time in 1873, marrying Mary Nealley.
Political career
While in Ohio, Allison's rise in politics coincided during a period of time where the Whig Party was facing collapse due to internal divisions over slavery. An abolitionist and supporter of business interests, he served in conventions to the newly formed Republican Party as well as the Know Nothing Party.[1]
Although serving in the 1856 Know Nothing national convention, Allison left the party and joined the Republicans.[1] Following an unsuccessful bid for county attorney, he moved to Dubuque, Iowa, where his older brother resided. Although the city was a stronghold for the Democratic Party at the time, Allison's ties with a law partnership and a Presbyterian church proved to successfully propel him into the state GOP leadership.[1]
Rise into national politics, House tenure
During the 1860 presidential election, Allison was a delegate to the Republican National Convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin. He campaigned heavily for party nominees on both the national and state level during the election cycle, and would be appointed by Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood as a military aide a year later with the outbreak of the Civil War.[1]
The Census of 1860 led to an increase in Iowa's congressional district seats from two to six. In the 1862 midterms, Allison ran for the U.S. House of Representatives from the third district which included Dubuque, challenging incumbent Republican congressman William Vandever.[1] Benefiting from connections to Kirkwood in addition to railroad interests, he denied Vandever renomination and won the general election.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Allison, William Boyd. The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ↑ IA - District 03 Race - Oct 14, 1862. Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 21, 2021.