James Allen (98)

James Allen (c. 1742–18 September 1778) was a lawyer and public official, and a member of the American Philosophical Society, elected in 1768. Born in Philadelphia, the third son of Chief Justice (and APS member) William Allen, he completed his coursework at the College of Philadelphia in 1758 before traveling to England to study law with his brother, APS member Andrew Allen, in 1761. Returning from England in 1764, he eventually opened a law practice which produced the income to which he was accustomed. He then assumed a number of public offices, including alderman and member of the Philadelphia City Council. While he joined other moderate Whigs in opposing the Stamp Act, he primarily sought reconciliation between Britain and the colonies. He was elected as a delegate to the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1776, but true to form, he voted against a special convention to draft a new frame of government. With his career in politics concluded, he retired to his home, Trout Hall, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. But this withdrawal from the public arena failed to shield him from the suspicions generated by his brothers’ involvement with British officials. Allen was arrested and brought back to Philadelphia in late 1776. Personal connections to members of the Council of Safety later allowed him to return to Allentown, but financial troubles brought on by depreciating currency and attacks on his property made peace elusive. Save for the brief respite he enjoyed while living in Philadelphia during British occupation, his health declined during 1777 and he died in the fall of 1778. In addition to his father, his brothers Andrew and John Allen, uncle James Hamilton, and brother-in-law John Penn were also APS members. (PI)