Joseph Hugh Allen
Encyclopedia
Joseph Hugh Allen was a Democratic
member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the industrial city of Baytown
, who fought for ethics reform. He was among the bipartisan "Dirty Thirty" lawmakers who in 1971 pushed for the ouster of Speaker
Gus Mutscher of Brenham
in Washington County, who was subsequently convicted of accepting bribe
s in exchange for the passage of banking legislation in what is known as the Sharpstown scandal
. Their efforts prompted a regime change in Austin
, ushered in Dolph Briscoe
and William P. Hobby, Jr.
, as governor
and lieutenant governor
, respectively, and launched new ethics laws in the 1973 legislative session.
and Chambers county lines. He attended public schools from 1949-1958. He graduated from Lee College
, a community college
in Baytown, where he served as editor of the Lee Lantern. Allen was inducted into the Lee College Hall of Fame and was later a member of the Lee College board of regents. He also attended the University of Houston
, having studied economics
and political science
.
Allen served in the United States Army Security Agency
from 1958 to 1961, with assignments in Japan
and the Far East
. He was named "Serviceman of the Year" in 1961 and received a Good Conduct Medal
.
, Allen was known in the legislature as a jokester and a natty dresser who chose bow tie
s and suspenders
. As a legislator in 1974, Allen was automatically a delegate to the Texas Constitutional Convention, which came within three votes of adopting a new state Constitution. While he was a legislator, Allen chaired the House Committee on Administration, the Property Tax Investigating Committee, and the standing committee on State Finance of the House Ways and Means Committee. He left the legislature in January 1979, as a Republican
Bill Clements
was inaugurated governor, the first member of his party to hold the office in 105 years.
Allen's wife, Kitty, said that her husband maintained a passion for politics long after he left the legislature and became a lobbyist. He worked first for Getty Oil Company and then from 1984-2001 for the Northern Natural Gas Company, which became the former Enron
Corporation in Houston
.
He was a member of several trade association
s, including the Texas Intrastate Pipeline Association, Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners, Texas Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, Greater Houston Partnership, American Legislative Exchange Council, Center for Public Policy/University of Houston, and the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce.
Allen died at the age of 68 from complications related to Alzheimer's disease
. His mother had died from the same ailment in the 1980s. He was also predeceased by his father and his only son, James Neal Allen.
In addition to his wife, Allen was survived by three daughters, Sydney Allen Seaman and husband, William Seaman, of Humble
; Mary Katharine Allen Stukenberg and husband, William Stukenberg, of Houston; and Sara Allen Abbott and husband, Matthew Abbott of Arlington, Virginia, and two grandchildren. Services were held on May 27, 2008, at Faith Presbyterian Church in Baytown, with the eulogy
delivered by former U.S. Representative
Robert Gammage
, who had also been one of Allen's "Dirty Thirty" colleagues. Interment was on May 28 at the Texas State Cemetery
in Austin.
Allen's death came only a few weeks after the passing of former legislators Russell B. Cummings
, his colleague from Houston, and Lena Guerrero
, who served from Austin, both of who are also buried in the State Cemetery.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
from the industrial city of Baytown
Baytown, Texas
Baytown is a city within Harris County and partially in Chambers County in the Gulf Coast region of the U.S. state of Texas. Located within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, it lies along both State Highway 146 and Interstate 10. As of 2010, Baytown had an population of 71,802...
, who fought for ethics reform. He was among the bipartisan "Dirty Thirty" lawmakers who in 1971 pushed for the ouster of Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
Gus Mutscher of Brenham
Brenham, Texas
Brenham is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, Texas, United States, with a population of 16,147 according to the 2009 census. It is the county seat of Washington County...
in Washington County, who was subsequently convicted of accepting bribe
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
s in exchange for the passage of banking legislation in what is known as the Sharpstown scandal
Sharpstown scandal
The Sharpstown scandal was a stock fraud scandal in the state of Texas in 1971 and 1972 involving the highest levels of the state government. The name came from the involvement of the Sharpstown area of Houston.-Background:...
. Their efforts prompted a regime change in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, ushered in Dolph Briscoe
Dolph Briscoe
Dolph Briscoe, Jr. was a Uvalde, Texas rancher and businessman who was the 41st Governor of Texas between 1973 and 1979....
and William P. Hobby, Jr.
William P. Hobby, Jr.
William Pettus “Bill” Hobby, Jr., is a Texas Democratic politician who served a record eighteen years as the 37th Lieutenant Governor...
, as governor
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
and lieutenant governor
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...
, respectively, and launched new ethics laws in the 1973 legislative session.
Early life, education, and military service
Born to James Viron Allen and the former Mary Azilea Ferguson, Allen resided his entire life in Baytown, which straddles the HarrisHarris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
and Chambers county lines. He attended public schools from 1949-1958. He graduated from Lee College
Lee College
Lee College is a comprehensive community college located in Baytown, Texas, approximately east of Houston, Texas.Lee College's main campus occupies landscaped near downtown Baytown and maintains extension campuses throughout its service area...
, a community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
in Baytown, where he served as editor of the Lee Lantern. Allen was inducted into the Lee College Hall of Fame and was later a member of the Lee College board of regents. He also attended the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, having studied economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
.
Allen served in the United States Army Security Agency
United States Army Security Agency
The United States Army Security Agency was the United States Army's signal intelligence branch. Its motto was "Vigilant Always." The Agency existed between 1945 and 1976 and was the successor to Army signal intelligence operations dating back to World War I...
from 1958 to 1961, with assignments in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. He was named "Serviceman of the Year" in 1961 and received a Good Conduct Medal
Good Conduct Medal
The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...
.
Legislative service
According to the Houston ChronicleHouston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
, Allen was known in the legislature as a jokester and a natty dresser who chose bow tie
Bow tie
The bow tie is a type of men's necktie. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar in a symmetrical manner such that the two opposite ends form loops. Ready-tied bow ties are available, in which the distinctive bow is sewn into shape and the band around the neck incorporates a clip....
s and suspenders
Suspenders
Suspenders or braces are fabric or leather straps worn over the shoulders to hold up trousers. Straps may be elasticated, either entirely or only at attachment ends and most straps are of woven cloth forming an X or Y shape at the back. Braces are typically attached to trousers with buttons...
. As a legislator in 1974, Allen was automatically a delegate to the Texas Constitutional Convention, which came within three votes of adopting a new state Constitution. While he was a legislator, Allen chaired the House Committee on Administration, the Property Tax Investigating Committee, and the standing committee on State Finance of the House Ways and Means Committee. He left the legislature in January 1979, as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Bill Clements
Bill Clements
William Perry "Bill" Clements, Jr. was the 42nd and 44th Governor of Texas, serving from 1979 to 1983 and 1987 to 1991. Clements was the first Republican to have served as governor of the U.S. state of Texas since Reconstruction...
was inaugurated governor, the first member of his party to hold the office in 105 years.
Allen's wife, Kitty, said that her husband maintained a passion for politics long after he left the legislature and became a lobbyist. He worked first for Getty Oil Company and then from 1984-2001 for the Northern Natural Gas Company, which became the former Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
Corporation in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
Later years
In 1983, Democratic Governor Mark Wells White named Allen to the Interstate Oil Compact Commission; he was reappointed in 1991 by Ann W. Richards. Allen also served on Governor Richards' New Texas Foundation and on the Texas Democratic Leadership Council.He was a member of several trade association
Trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
s, including the Texas Intrastate Pipeline Association, Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners, Texas Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, Greater Houston Partnership, American Legislative Exchange Council, Center for Public Policy/University of Houston, and the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce.
Allen died at the age of 68 from complications related to Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. His mother had died from the same ailment in the 1980s. He was also predeceased by his father and his only son, James Neal Allen.
In addition to his wife, Allen was survived by three daughters, Sydney Allen Seaman and husband, William Seaman, of Humble
Humble, Texas
Humble is a city in Harris County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area.As of the 2000 census, the city population was 14,579. The city shares a zip code with the small Houston neighborhood of Bordersville, although people who live in Bordersville still have Humble...
; Mary Katharine Allen Stukenberg and husband, William Stukenberg, of Houston; and Sara Allen Abbott and husband, Matthew Abbott of Arlington, Virginia, and two grandchildren. Services were held on May 27, 2008, at Faith Presbyterian Church in Baytown, with the eulogy
Eulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
delivered by former U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Robert Gammage
Robert Gammage
Robert Alton "Bob" Gammage is a politician from the U.S. state of Texas, having served as a Democrat in the Texas House of Representatives, the Texas State Senate, and the United States House of Representatives....
, who had also been one of Allen's "Dirty Thirty" colleagues. Interment was on May 28 at the Texas State Cemetery
Texas State Cemetery
The Texas State Cemetery is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, the capital of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revolutionary general and Vice-President of the Republic of Texas, it was expanded into a Confederate cemetery during the Civil War...
in Austin.
Allen's death came only a few weeks after the passing of former legislators Russell B. Cummings
Russell B. Cummings
Russell Bennett Cummings was a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 22 in Harris County from 1967 to 1971, who is best known for having worked for passage of the state's open meetings and open beaches laws. He lost his bid for a third term in the 1970 general...
, his colleague from Houston, and Lena Guerrero
Lena Guerrero
Lena Guerrero Aguirre, known as Lena Guerrero , was the first woman and the first person of ethnic minority background to have served on the Texas Railroad Commission, an elected body which currently regulates the oil and natural gas industry. In 1992, her once promising political career ended over...
, who served from Austin, both of who are also buried in the State Cemetery.