Siskiyou
County
Biographies
HON.
JAMES M. ALLEN
Known widely as a true, dyed-in-the-wool
democrat and a loyal servant of his constituents, Hon. James M. Allen, resident
of Yreka, Siskiyou county, is now a state senator. No opprobrium has aver been attached to his
name, even by his political enemies, and he is known as a stanch friend and a
fair antagonist in the political arena.
He has consistently advanced the interests of his district in
legislative halls, and has been successful in furthering many movements of
lasting benefit to the citizens he represents.
Senator Allan is of the highest type of public official, a man of
gracious personality, of rare judgment, tolerant opinions, and thoroughly
imbued with love for his native county and state. James M. Allen was born in Siskiyou county, California,
June 10, 1883, and is a son of Edward Power and Mary Ann (McGee) Allen. The father was born in Ireland, and came to
he United States in 1860. He spent some
time in New Jersey, then went to Michigan, to the copper country, where he
worked in the mines, and later helped build the first railroad to
California. Mining was his occupation,
however. After returning east, he again
came to California by way of the isthmus of Panama, and engaged in mining in
Grass Valley, California, and Virginia City, Nevada. He came to Siskiyou county in 1880. His brother had come here five years
previously. Edward P. Allen put in the
first air drill and hoist in Siskiyou county, and succeeded in obtaining much
gold, but lost in further ventures. He
died January 13, 1900, and his wife died in 1889.
James M. Allen attended the grade schools
in Quartz Valley, then for two years studied at the Etna high school and one
year in the high school at Yreka. He
then took a business course at Heald's Business College in San Francisco,
graduating in June, 1902, after which he did stenographic work for a brief time
in San Francisco. Then for three years,
he engaged in mining in Siskiyou county, but his health failed while thus
employed, whereupon he took a teacher's examination and taught in Siskiyou
county. He later became principal of the
Fort Jones, Scott Valley, district schools, which position he held for four
years, during which period he was reading law under the guidance of an attorney. He was appointed a justice of the peace at
Fort Jones, and on January 30, 1913, was admitted to the California bar. He first opened an office at Fort Jones, then
became interested in political affairs and was elected district attorney in
1914, in which office he served conspicuously for eight years. He entered upon the private practice of law
in Yreka, and in 1927 was elected to the state senate on the democratic
ticket. He was a delegate to the
democratic national convention at Houston, Texas, in 1928. He is a thorough exponent of democratic
principles and issues, and is a courageous fighter for his beliefs.
On October 9, 1907, James M. Allen was
married to Miss Linnie May McBee, a daughter of William and Caroline Augusta
(Beckworth) McBee, who were residents of Oregon, the father following farming
near Roseburg. Senator and Mrs. Allen
are the parents of eight children, namely: Velma, who attended Junior College
at Sacramento, and married Richard A. Campbell, a garage man and mechanic;
James M., Jr., and Augusta Lillian, twins, now in high school; William Norman,
Irene, May, Robert Charles and Edward, now in grade schools at Yreka.
Senator Allen is a member of the
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, in the Ashland, Oregon, Lodge No. 944, and
is affiliated with the Episcopal Church.
He is the owner of a modern home at Yreka, an office building in the
same city, and has one hundred and sixty acres of land in Shasta county,
besides property at Montague.
Transcribed by
Rhonda Ruick O'Brien.
Source: Wooldridge, J.W. Major History of the Sacramento Valley
California, Vol. 2 Pages 74-77. Pioneer
Historical Publishing Co. Chicago 1931.
© 2010 Rhonda
Ruick O'Brien.
Golden Nugget Library's Siskiyou County Biographies