From collection Candidates
Amelia Allen was elected from the first ward to the school board of Salina, Kansas in 1890. Allen was one of the first African American women elected to office in the United States. She ran for re-election two years later, but lost by five votes. Before her marriage Allen attended Tillotson Collegiate and Normal Institute in Austin, Texas, where she lived with her family. After her training Allen moved to Salina, Kansas where she taught in local schools. Allen was considered a woman of many attainments and was a potential candidate for the Ladies Managers board of the Columbian Exposition.
