CO HJM1001

Robert E. Allen, former Colorado state representative (1950-1960) and senator (1960-1964), died on November 22, 2014.

Allen served as House Majority Caucus Leader (1957-1958) and House Majority Leader (1959-1960), and held positions as vice-chair of Business Affairs and Rules committees and chair of the Education committee in the House and State Affairs and Migratory Labor committees in the Senate.

Allen sponsored landmark civil rights legislation including the Fair Employment Practices Act (1957), the Fair Housing Act of 1959 (the first civil rights housing legislation in the nation), and House Bill 39 (1957) which repealed Colorado's miscegenation law and legalized interracial marriage.

Beyond the legislature, Allen served as the first Executive Director of Denver's War on Poverty Office, worked as an Assistant Public Defender, maintained a private law practice, and taught criminal justice courses for 25 years at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

The General Assembly extends condolences to his family and honors his service as a dedicated public servant and civil rights advocate, with copies of the memorial to be sent to his wife Gerry Allen, son Robert E. Allen Jr., and the Colorado Democratic Party.