Allen H. DeGroff

Allen H. DeGroff (September 12, 1848 – July 21, 1932) was an American merchant and politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Buffalo and Pepin counties during the 1895 session.

Biography Allen H. DeGroff was born September 12, 1848, in Dodge County, Wisconsin. His family had settled there in 1844. When he was about nine years old, the family moved to a farm in the town of Nelson, in Buffalo County.

On January 23, 1864, he enlisted for service in the Union Army, joining Company G of the 25th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, where his brother had been serving since 1862. At age 15, he was one of the youngest volunteers for the Union Army from the state of Wisconsin. He served with the regiment until it mustered out of service in June 1865, at which time he transferred to the 12th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and served another month until that regiment disbanded in July.

After his term in the Legislature, DeGroff moved to North Dakota, and subsequently relocated to California, where he died in 1932.

Personal life and family Allen H. DeGroff was one of eight children born to John Smith DeGroff and his wife his wife Eliza ( Barner). John Smith DeGroff was a Wisconsin pioneer and a successful farmer. Allen's elder brother, John W. DeGroff, also served in the 25th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and represented Buffalo County in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Allen H. DeGroff married twice. He had one son, Arthur, with his first wife, Mary Evans, before her death in 1880. He subsequently married Anna Walker, whose family moved to Buffalo County in the 1870s.

Aside from political matters, Allen DeGroff was active in the veterans organization the Grand Army of the Republic and the fraternal organization the Knights of Pythias.