US Congressman. A lawyer and graduate of the Litchfield Law School, he was made a member of the Connecticut State Bar Association in 1786. After serving six years in the Connecticut State Legislature, he was elected as a Federalist to represent Connecticut as an At-Large Delegate to the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1797 to 1799. During his time on office he was an ally of President John Adams in passing the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. After his congressional tenure he served as a Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court from 1800 to 1806. His son, John William Allen, would also become a lawyer, move to Ohio, and serve as a Whig United States Congressman from Ohio from 1837 to 1841.