Oscar K. Allen
| Oscar K. Allen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 42nd Governor of Louisiana | |
|
In office May 10, 1932 – January 28, 1936 |
|
| Lieutenant | John B. Fournet |
| Preceded by | Alvin Olin King |
| Succeeded by | James A. Noe |
| Louisiana State Senator from Caldwell, Grant, La Salle, and Winn parishes | |
|
In office 1928 – 1928 |
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| Preceded by | Henry E. Hardtner |
| Succeeded by | James L. Anderson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 8, 1882 Winn Parish, Louisiana |
| Died | January 28, 1936 (aged 53) Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Resting place | Winnfield City Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Trinity University |
| Profession | Teacher |
| Religion | Baptist |
Oscar Kelly Allen Sr. (August 8, 1882 – January 28, 1936), also known as O. K. Allen, was the 42nd Governor of Louisiana from 1932 to 1936.
Allen succeeded Alvin Olin King, who served briefly in the state's highest office after Huey Long left the governorship to take a seat in the United States Senate.
Allen was born in a log cabin in Winn Parish to Asa Levi Allen and the former Sophronia Perkins. He attended Winn Parish schools, the Springfield Normal School and Business College in Springfield, Missouri, and Trinity University, a private institution then in Waxahachie, Texas, south of Dallas in Ellis County, Texas (Trinity is now in San Antonio, Texas.)
Allen taught school in Winn Parish in 1898 and later in Mineral Springs, Texas, and Pleasant Hill in Sabine Parish. In 1908, he was an assistant registrar at Trinity. Thereafter, he worked at times in farming, railroads, the mercantile business, and in oil drilling.
Allen married the former Florence Scott Love of Paris, Texas, the seat of Lamar County, Texas, on December 4, 1912. They had three children: Joyce Love (Mrs. Frederick J. Stare), Oscar Kelly Allen Jr. (born 1915), and Asa Benton Allen (born 1925).
Allen took an early, active interest in politics and civic affairs. He was elected tax assessor in Winn Parish and served from 1916-1920. He was the clerk of the Winn Parish Police Jury (equivalent of county commission in other states) from 1924-1927. He was elected to the Louisiana state Senate in 1928 in the wake of Long's landslide victory in the gubernatorial election. He defeated the anti-Long incumbent, Henry E. Hardtner of La Salle Parish, who was also a former Republican. Allen was Long's floor leader in the Senate and was named by the governor as the chairman of the Louisiana Highway Commission from 1928 until 1930, when the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that holding both legislative and executive positions simultaneously was unconstitutional.
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