Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

hostilities caused the treasury notes with
which the duck had been paid for to so
increase in value that he realized a handsome
profit.
In April, 1817, Mr. Allen was elected to
the Common Council and in March, 182 1,
he became mayor of New York. He took
a prominent part in the completion of the
New York aqueduct. In April, 1824, he
was appointed commissioner to visit the
prisons in Auburn and in New York City
and to report upon conditions and recommend
changes. The result was the sale
of the old prison in New York, and the
erection of the State prison at Sing Sing.
On November i, 1825, Mr. Allen retired
from business, and in May, 1826, he was
sent to the New York State Assembly.
In 1829 he was elected Senator and, as
such, served as a member of the court for
the correction of errors. This was the
first instance in which written opinions
were given in the court of errors by a layman.
In 1833 Mr. Allen was appointed one of
the water commission for supplying New
York with pure and wholesome water,
and served as chairman of the committee.
In 1840 he was relieved of the office of
water commissioner by Governor Seward,
for reasons purely political. Charles
King said, in the "Memoir of the Croton
Aqueduct :" "The chairman of the board,
in particular, Stephen Allen, has left upon
the work, from its commencement to the
advanced stage in which he relinquished
it to his successor, the stamp of his ener-
getic character and strong, inquiring
mind." All the public positions filled by
Mr. Allen were unsolicited. In early life
he was a Moravian in religious belief, but
later became a member of the Presbyter-
ian church. He was officially connected
with many public institutions of New
York City, including the Tammany So-
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
268
ciety, the Mechanic and Scientific Institu-
tion, the New York Hospital and Lunatic
Asylum and the New York Prison Disci-
pline Society.
Mr. Allen married (first) in 1788,
Marschalk, and (second) in 1807,
Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Mary
(Coleridge) Roake. Mr. Roake came
from one of the Channel Islands and his
wife was a kinswoman of the author of
"The Ancient Mariner." The marriage
was, as seemed fitting, a romantic one,
the lovers leaving England without the
knowledge of their respective families and
finding a home on the other side of the
sea in the little village of Shrub Oak
Plains, near Peekskill, New York. On
July 28, 1852, Mr. Allen passed away,
"full of years and of honors." It should
always be remembered that he was the
first man to propose bringing Croton
water into the city of New York. So sane
was he in his judgment and so impartial,
that many people brought their differ-
ences to him to arbitrate instead of tak-
ing them into the courts. He was a
wealthy man for the time in which he
lived, and drew his own will. It is on
record as a test will that could never be
broken.
(Ill) William M., son of Stephen and
Sarah (Roake) Allen, was born in New
York City, and graduated in the Law
School of Columbia University, but never
practised, his ample means enabling him
to give his time and attention to more
congenial pursuits. He was a man of
broad culture, having literary tastes, and
greatly interested in scientific subjects.
In the maintenance and improvement of
the public school system of his native city
he rendered, for many years, valuable as-
sistance. A subject in which he took the
liveliest interest was the wonderful pos-
sibilities of the microscope. Mr. Allen