George Allen (American politician)
George Felix Allen (born March 8, 1952) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 67th governor of Virginia from 1994 to 1998 and as a United States senator from Virginia from 2001 to 2007.
George Allen | |
|---|---|
Official Senate portrait | |
| United States Senator from Virginia | |
| In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Chuck Robb |
| Succeeded by | Jim Webb |
| 67th Governor of Virginia | |
| In office January 15, 1994 – January 17, 1998 | |
| Lieutenant | Don Beyer |
| Preceded by | Douglas Wilder |
| Succeeded by | Jim Gilmore |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 7th district | |
| In office November 5, 1991 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | French Slaughter |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Bliley |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 58th district | |
| In office January 12, 1983 – November 5, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Peter T. Way |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Felix Allen March 8, 1952 Whittier, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | Anne Rubel
(m. 1979; div. 1983)Susan Brown (m. 1986) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. |
| Education | University of Virginia (BA, JD) |
The son of National Football League head coach George Allen, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1983 to 1991, resigning after he won a special election for Virginia's 7th congressional district in November 1991. After his district was eliminated during redistricting, he declined to run for a full term in 1992, instead running for Governor of Virginia in the 1993 election. He defeated Democratic Attorney General of Virginia Mary Sue Terry by 58.3% against 40.9%.
Barred by term limits from seeking reelection to a second term in 1997, he worked in the private sector until the 2000 election in which he ran for the United States Senate, defeating two-term Democratic incumbent Chuck Robb. Allen ran for reelection in the 2006 election, but after a close and controversial race, he was defeated by Democratic former U.S. Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb. When Webb decided to retire, Allen ran for his old seat again in the 2012 election but was defeated again, this time by fellow former governor Tim Kaine. Allen now serves on the Reagan Ranch Board of Governors of Young America's Foundation, where he is a Reagan Ranch Presidential Scholar.