Richard Allen

Richard Allen (June 10, 1830 – May 16, 1909) was a carpenter, contractor, businessman and, after the Civil War, a Republican politician in Texas. He was elected to two terms in the Texas House of Representatives. In 1878, he was the first African American in Texas to run for statewide office, but was unsuccessful in his campaign for lieutenant governor. Early life Born into slavery in Richmond, Virginia, in 1830, Allen was taken to Texas as a child when his master migrated there in 1837. While still enslaved, Allen gained a reputation as a skilled carpenter. Career After emancipation following the American Civil War, Allen went into business as a contractor. He built a mansion for Joseph R. Morris, Mayor of Houston. He also built one of the first bridges across Buffalo Bayou. Allen first entered public service in 1867, working as an agent for the Freedmen's Bureau, a federal organization created to assist emancipated slaves.