On July 11, 1879, William Allen, a U.S. representative, senator and governor of Ohio, died at Fruit Hill, his home near Chillicothe.

The Jacksonian Democrat was born in North Carolina, orphaned soon after birth and raised by a sister. At 16, he decided to seek his fortunes in the West. He crossed the Alleghenies on foot during the winter of 1819 and settled in Chillicothe, where he attended Chillicothe Academy for two years before studying law.

Admitted to the bar at 21, he gained a reputation as a fluent speaker and skilled debater while riding the circuit in Ohio. At 29, he was elected to Congress as a Democrat in a Republican district. Five years later, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he gained a national reputation as a leader of the Northwest Democrats.

Allen retired to private life in Chillicothe after the 1848 elections. In 1873, Ohio Democrats sought a suitable gubernatorial candidate and called on Allen - then 70 years old - and he won easily.

Rebecca Goodman

E-mail rgoodman@enquirer.com or call 768-8361