Austin M. Allran
Encyclopedia
Austin Murphy Allran is a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly
representing the state's forty-second Senate district, including constituents in Iredell
and Catawba
counties. An attorney from Hickory, North Carolina
, Allran is currently (2007-2008 session) serving in his twelfth term in the state Senate. He is Vice-Chairman of the Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources Committee and the Judiciary II (Criminal) Committee. He is also a member of four other committees - Education/Higher Education, Finance, Health Care, and Ways and Means.
Allran was born in Hickory, North Carolina
; he graduated from Hickory High School
in 1970 and then earned degrees in English and history from Duke University
. Allran attended law school at Southern Methodist University
, earning his degree in 1978. He married Judy Mosbach on 27 September 1980; they have two children, Elizabeth and Catherine. In 1981, Allran was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives
and in 1986 to the North Carolina Senate
; he served as Republican minority whip during the 1995-1996 session. In March 2005 Senator Allran called for the game of solitaire to be erased from the Microsoft Windows
computers of state employees in his North Carolina constituency, claiming that such a move would save millions of dollars and improve productivity due to the working time lost while state employees play the game.
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...
representing the state's forty-second Senate district, including constituents in Iredell
Iredell County, North Carolina
Iredell County, along with Moore County in the eastern Piedmont, are among a very few counties in the United States sharing borders with nine adjacent counties.-Demographics:...
and Catawba
Catawba County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 160,000 people, 55,533 households, and 39,095 families residing in the county. The population density was 354 people per square mile . There were 59,919 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile...
counties. An attorney from Hickory, North Carolina
Hickory, North Carolina
Hickory is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina. Hickory has the 162nd largest urban area in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 341,851, making it the 4th largest metropolitan area in North Carolina. The city's population was 37,222...
, Allran is currently (2007-2008 session) serving in his twelfth term in the state Senate. He is Vice-Chairman of the Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources Committee and the Judiciary II (Criminal) Committee. He is also a member of four other committees - Education/Higher Education, Finance, Health Care, and Ways and Means.
Allran was born in Hickory, North Carolina
Hickory, North Carolina
Hickory is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina. Hickory has the 162nd largest urban area in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 341,851, making it the 4th largest metropolitan area in North Carolina. The city's population was 37,222...
; he graduated from Hickory High School
Hickory High School (North Carolina)
Hickory High School is located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is a public school in the Hickory City School system, located in Catawba County in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina.-General information:...
in 1970 and then earned degrees in English and history from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. Allran attended law school at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
, earning his degree in 1978. He married Judy Mosbach on 27 September 1980; they have two children, Elizabeth and Catherine. In 1981, Allran was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....
and in 1986 to the North Carolina Senate
North Carolina Senate
The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...
; he served as Republican minority whip during the 1995-1996 session. In March 2005 Senator Allran called for the game of solitaire to be erased from the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
computers of state employees in his North Carolina constituency, claiming that such a move would save millions of dollars and improve productivity due to the working time lost while state employees play the game.