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.
This article is about a former governor of Virginia. For other people, including American politicians, named George Allen, see George Allen (disambiguation).
George Allen
Constituency established
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Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
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.[1] 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.
Early life, education and early career (1952–1982)[edit]
Allen was born in Whittier, California on March 8, 1952.[2] Allen's father, George Herbert Allen, was a National Football League (NFL) coach who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.[3] During the 2006 senatorial campaign, it was revealed that Allen's mother, Henrietta Lumbroso, was born to Sephardic Jewish parents in Tunisia.[4] In a 2006 debate, Allen referred to his mother as being "French-Italian, with a little Spanish blood in her."[5]
He has a younger sister, Jennifer, an author and correspondent for NFL Network, and two brothers, including Bruce Allen, a former NFL team executive. He and his family lived there until 1957. They moved to the suburbs of Chicago after George Sr. was hired with the Chicago Bears. Then, the family moved back to Palos Verdes in Southern California after Allen's father was named head coach of the Los Angeles Rams in 1966.[6]
Allen graduated in 1970 from Palos Verdes High School, where he was a member of the falconry club and the car club. He was also quarterback of the varsity football team. He then attended the University of California, Los Angeles, for a year. His father had in the meantime taken over the head coaching duties with the Washington Redskins in 1970 and the younger Allen transferred to the University of Virginia, in 1971, where he received a B.A. degree with distinction in history in 1974. He was class president in his fourth year at UVA, and played on the UVA football and rugby teams.[7]
After graduating, Allen completed a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1977. In 1976, he was the chairman of the "Young Virginians for Ronald Reagan". Out of law school, he served as a law clerk for Judge Glen Morgan Williams of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.[8]
Return to the private sector (1998–2001)[edit]
McGuireWoods[edit]
In February 1998, Allen became a Richmond-based partner at the law firm McGuire Woods Battle & Boothe (now McGuireWoods LLP), as head of its business expansion and relocation team. At the time, Allen said "I think it's healthy to get out of government. If you stay in too long, you lose track of reality and the real world."[67] According to a disclosure form Allen filed on May 12, 2000, he was paid $450,000 by the firm between January 1999 and April 2000.[68]
Xybernaut[edit]
While out of office, Allen became a director at two Virginia high-tech companies and advised a third, all government contractors that he had assisted while governor.[69]
In mid-1998, Allen joined the board of Xybernaut,[70] a company selling mobile, flip-screen computers. The firm never made a profit – it posted 33 consecutive quarterly losses after it went public in 1996.[71] In September 1999, Allen and the rest of the company's board dismissed the company's accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, which had issued a report with a "going concern" paragraph that questioned the company's financial health.[72]
Allen made almost no money from the stock, according to his communications director, John Reid.[68] According to the Associated Press, Allen steered compensation from his board service, other than stock options, to his law firm.[69] He was granted options worth $1.5 million at their peak.[68] Allen listed them on his disclosure forms for 2002 and 2003,[68] but never exercised them.[68]
Commonwealth Biotechnologies[edit]
Allen joined Commonwealth's board of directors about two months after leaving the governor's office in January 1998. "I learned a lot on their board and enjoyed working with 'em, and they seem to be doing all right, I guess," Allen said in October 2006.
Commonwealth granted Allen options on 15,000 shares of company stock at $7.50 a share in May 1999. Allen steered other compensation from his board service to his law firm, McGuire Woods. As of late 2006, Allen had not cashed in any options; the stock as of that date was well under $5 per share, making the options valueless for the moment. Commonwealth reported its first full year of profitability in 2005.[69]
Com-Net Ericsson[edit]
Allen became a member of the advisory board of Com-Net Ericsson in February 2000. The advisory board's responsibility was to meet at least twice a year and provide advice and service. Allen terminated his service on the board before the end of 2000. He was paid approximately $300,000 for his services.[73]
Personal life[edit]
Allen married Anne Patrice Rubel in June 1979. They divorced in 1983. In 1986, Allen married Susan Brown. The couple has three children. The Allens are residents of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Allen is a member of the Presbyterian Church. He is fond of using football metaphors, a tendency that has been remarked upon by journalists and political commentators.[108][109]