Henry Elisha Allen was born on June 13, 1902 in Orange, New Jersey. He earned his B.A. from Yale University in 1924, his M.A. in 1929 and Ph.D. in 1930 from the University of Chicago. Before coming to the University of Minnesota, he was an English teacher at the Hill School in Pottstown, PA (1924-1926); a faculty member and director of the Christian Association at Lafayette College in Easton, PA (1930-1941); an exchange professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA (1939-1940); president of Keuka College in Keuka Park, NY (1941-1946); and associate director for the national program of Planned Parenthood (1946-1947). In 1947, Dr. Allen accepted the position as coordinator of students' religious activities and associate professor at the University of Minnesota. He was promoted to professor in 1951. During his tenure at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Allen ensured that all religious denominations were given a chance to express their views and philosophies on campus. He lived by the idea that "all human relations problems would be solved if everyone practiced his religion at its best." Henry Allen retired from the University of Minnesota in 1970 and died on June 27, 1985.
From the guide to the Henry E. Allen papers, 1922-1986, (University of Minnesota Libraries. University Archives [uarc])
