Ethel D. Allen

Ethel D. Allen (May 8, 1929 – December 16, 1981) was an African-American politician and physician from the Republican Party, who served as the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under governor Dick Thornburgh for 10 months, between January and October 1979. Prior to serving in the state cabinet, Allen was a member of the Philadelphia City Council from 1972 until 1979, representing both the 5th and At-Large Districts.

Early life

Allen was born in Philadelphia and raised by Baptist parents. She attended Catholic school, however, converting and remaining a Catholic for the rest of her life. She attended J. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School.

She studied at West Virginia State College, where she majored in chemistry and biology with a minor in mathematics, and went on to earn her Doctor of Osteopathy from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1963. While her parents were active in local Democratic politics, Allen eventually became a Republican volunteer, working for a variety of campaigns, including that of Dwight Eisenhower in 1952. She would jokingly describe herself as a "B.F.R.a black, female Republican, an entity as rare as a black elephant and just as smart."

As a self-described "ghetto practitioner," Allen worked in difficult and often dangerous circumstances in some of Philadelphia's poorest neighborhoods. At one point, she was lured to a false house call and found herself the target of a robbery. Four men had surrounded her, hoping to get drugs from her medical bag, but she escaped safely after wielding her gun and sending the would-be robbers running. During her tenure, Allen sponsored legislation that resulted in the creation of the Philadelphia Youth Commission to help address issues with urban gangs.

In 1975, Allen decided to seek re-election to Council, but this time ran for one of Council's at-large seats. She won one of the two seats reserved for nonmembers of the majority Democratic Party, taking over the seat vacated by Tom Foglietta, who was the party's nominee for Mayor in that year's election. While on Council, Allen was known as a tough, outspoken politician, often clashing with Mayor Frank Rizzo and Council President George Schwartz. Allen had reportedly told city Republican leaders that she would turn-down Thornburgh's offer if they assured her that she would have an unobstructed path to the party's nomination for that year's Mayoral election; when she did not receive such assurances, she accepted Thornburgh's offer. Two years earlier, Governor Milton Shapp had fired C. Delores Tucker, who was also serving as Secretary of the Commonwealth, for using public employees to assist in the preparation of speeches for which a fee was received.

Later life and legacy

Allen's firing brought a significant backlash against Thornburgh from the African-American community and various civil rights groups. Some asserted that Allen was held to a different standard because of her skin color, gender, or both; others charged that the Governor's actions were politically motivated.

Her dismissal from Thornburgh's cabinet brought an end to her political career. She would serve for just over one year as the Philadelphia School District's clinician with management responsibilities. In 1982, the School District of Philadelphia changed the name of the then Lehigh Elementary School to the Dr. Ethel D. Allen School, in honor of Dr. Allen.