Raymond B. Allen

Raymond Bernard Allen (August 7, 1902 – March 15, 1986) was an American educator. He served as the 21st president of the University of Washington from 1946 to 1951 and as the first chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles from 1951 to 1959.

Biography

Early life Raymond Bernard Allen was born on August 7, 1902, in Cathay, North Dakota. He attended the University of Minnesota, where he received an MD in 1928.

Career He started his career as a general practitioner in Minot, North Dakota. Initially specializing in urology, Allen entered hospital administration after earning his PhD. In 1933, he became Director of Graduate Studies at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He was director of the Psychological Strategy Board in 1952.

When UCLA was granted co-equal status with UC Berkeley in 1951, its presiding officer was granted the title of chancellor. Allen was tapped as the newly autonomous UCLA's first chancellor, a post he held until 1959. He was recommended for the job by Robert Gordon Sproul, who served as president of the University of California, serving from 1930 to 1958. During his tenure, the UCLA Medical Center was built and the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Nursing were developed, as well as the Neuropsychiatric Institute. He resigned after a three-year investigation led to the revelation of corruption between football players and the Pacific Coast Conference.

After leaving UCLA, Allen served as director of research and population dynamics for the Pan American Health Organization, as Indonesia director of the International Cooperation Administration, and as a member of the World Health Organization. He was a Fellow of the Mayo Foundation.

Personal life Allen was married to Dorothy Allen. They had two sons, Charles and Raymond B. Allen Jr., and two daughters, Dorothy Allen and Barbara Sheard. He retired in Virginia in 1967. He died on March 15, 1986, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, at the age of eighty-three.