Governor of Louisiana
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.
Allen was elected governor in the shadow of Huey Long, who had relocated to Washington, D.C., to assume his senatorial duties. Allen merely served as an instrument to carry through Long's wishes; there is one story, undoubtedly false but valuable for the perception of Allen that it demonstrates, that a leaf blew into Allen's office one day and that he signed it, thinking it was legislation from Long.
Elected with Allen was Huey Long's choice for lieutenant governor, John B. Fournet of Jefferson Davis Parish. Fournet actually defeated Long's younger brother, Earl Kemp Long, who had the support of most Long family members despite Huey's support for Fournet.
Allen signed into law Louisiana's popular homestead exemption, legislation pushed to pasage by State Senator W. Scott Heywood of Jennings, who earlier had been the first to discover oil in his adopted Jeff Davis Parish.
Read more about this topic: Oscar K. Allen
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