Byron G. Allen
Byron Gilchrist Allen (September 13, 1901 – June 10, 1988) was a Minnesota and Iowa politician who was the first nominee of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party for governor.
Byron G. Allen | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Byron Gilchrist Allen September 13, 1901 Laurens, Iowa |
| Died | June 10, 1988 (aged 86) Detroit Lakes, Minnesota |
| Political party |
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Born in Laurens, Iowa, Allen attended Iowa State College (now Iowa State University) from 1920–1924.[1] He was a newspaper editor by trade, and served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1927 to 1932. He unsuccessfully sought election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa in 1940.
In 1944, Allen was the first nominee for governor of Minnesota's newly formed Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, a merger of the state's Democratic and Farmer–Labor parties. He lost to incumbent Republican governor Edward John Thye.
Allen later served as Minnesota Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture from 1955 to 1961 under Governor Orville Freeman, and as Assistant U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1961 to 1969, also under Freeman, who was appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by President John F. Kennedy.
Allen was married to Elsa Ellanora Erickson.[2]
Allen died in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota on June 10, 1988.[3]
References
- Official Register. Iowa General Assembly. 1927. p. 238.
- Political Graveyard
- "Byron Allen, Agriculture Official". The New York Times. The Associated Press. 1988-06-13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Party Created |
Endorsed Gubernatorial Candidate, Minnesota DFL State Convention 1944 |
Succeeded by Harold H. Barker |
| Preceded by Hjalmar Petersen Farmer–Labor Party |
DFL nominee for Governor of Minnesota 1944 | |
| Preceded by John D. Sullivan Democratic Party | ||