George Allen Biography Quotes 8 Report mistakes

Early Life and Family
George Felix Allen was born on March 8, 1952, in Whittier, California, into a household steeped in sports, public prominence, and immigrant heritage. His father, George Herbert Allen, was a Hall of Fame NFL coach best known for leading the Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Redskins, and his mother, Henriette "Etty" Allen (nee Lumbroso), was born in North Africa and raised in a French-speaking household. The family moved frequently with his father's coaching career, giving Allen early exposure to public life and the pressures and discipline of competitive sports. Among his siblings, Bruce Allen later became a prominent NFL executive, and Jennifer Allen became an author; their careers, like George's, reflected the family's enduring public profile.

Education and Early Career
Allen attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), earning a degree in history. He then studied law at the University of Virginia School of Law, a move that anchored his professional and political life in Virginia. After receiving his J.D., he entered private legal practice in the state, working in and around Charlottesville. The combination of a California upbringing, Virginia legal training, and the national stature of his father gave Allen an unusual vantage point on both cultural and political life in America.

Entry into Virginia Politics
Allen won a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in the early 1980s and served through the end of that decade and into the early 1990s. He cultivated a reputation as a conservative advocate for criminal justice reforms and pro-growth economic policies, with a political style that emphasized plain-speaking, sport-inflected competitiveness. In 1991 he won a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia and served until 1993, building relationships with state and national Republican leaders and learning the rhythms of federal policymaking.

Governor of Virginia
Allen won the 1993 gubernatorial election, defeating Mary Sue Terry in a campaign that stressed public safety, accountability in education, and a streamlined government. Serving from 1994 to 1998, he advanced sweeping criminal justice changes, most notably ending parole for violent offenders and instituting truth-in-sentencing policies. His administration also promoted business development and set statewide academic standards known as the Standards of Learning, a benchmark-driven approach that aimed to measure performance and raise expectations in public schools. Allen's allies during this period included many rising Virginia Republicans; he later supported the gubernatorial campaign of Jim Gilmore, who succeeded him in office. As governor, Allen honed a message that combined tough-on-crime priorities with a technology-forward, pro-enterprise outlook that would become central to his federal career.

United States Senate
In 2000, Allen defeated incumbent Democrat Chuck Robb to win a seat in the U.S. Senate. Serving from 2001 to 2007, he worked on committees and initiatives that aligned with his interest in innovation, energy, and commerce. He championed legislation to spur research and technological competitiveness, including support for federal initiatives in emerging fields such as nanotechnology. He became a visible voice for high-tech policy and chaired efforts among Senate Republicans to deepen ties with entrepreneurs and the technology sector. During the early 2000s he also served as a leader for Senate Republicans' campaign operations, playing a role in strategy and recruitment during a pivotal election cycle.

The 2006 Campaign and Controversies
Allen's 2006 bid for a second Senate term against Jim Webb, a former Navy secretary and novelist, became one of the most closely watched races in the country. The campaign was overshadowed by an incident in which Allen used the word "macaca" to refer to S. R. Sidarth, a Webb campaign volunteer who was recording the event. The remark drew widespread criticism, became a national news story, and clouded the final months of the race. During the campaign, Allen also faced questions about his past displays of Confederate symbols and about his family background; he came to publicly acknowledge his mother's Jewish heritage, a personal matter that unexpectedly became part of the political conversation. In a very narrow outcome, Webb defeated Allen, shifting control of the Senate to Democrats.

Return to Private Life and 2012 Senate Race
After leaving the Senate in 2007, Allen returned to the private sector, working as a consultant and attorney and advising companies and organizations engaged in energy, infrastructure, and technology. He remained an active figure in national and Virginia Republican politics, speaking at conferences and contributing to policy discussions on innovation, broadband deployment, workforce development, and American energy production. Allen also authored a book drawing leadership lessons from sports, reflecting the influence of his father and the broader Allen family legacy.

In 2012, he sought a return to the U.S. Senate, running for the seat vacated by Jim Webb. He faced Democrat Tim Kaine, a former Virginia governor with his own national profile. The race once again drew national attention, but Allen lost in the general election, affirming a transition in Virginia's statewide political balance.

Personal Life and Influences
Allen married Susan Allen, who served as Virginia's First Lady during his governorship and engaged in public service initiatives relating to education and youth. His family's imprint on his public life remained deep: the discipline of his father George Herbert Allen, the cosmopolitan background of his mother Etty, and the public careers of his siblings Bruce and Jennifer shaped his convictions about leadership, merit, and opportunity. Close political contemporaries and rivals such as Mary Sue Terry, Chuck Robb, Jim Gilmore, Jim Webb, and Tim Kaine framed the competitive environment in which he operated and helped define the issues central to modern Virginia politics.

Legacy
George Felix Allen's career bridged late-20th-century conservatism and the early information-age priorities of the 2000s. As governor, he left a durable mark on Virginia's criminal justice system and on standards-based education. As a senator, he helped translate a pro-innovation message into legislative and policy work that appealed to technology and business constituencies. The turbulence of the 2006 campaign became an indelible part of his public story, influencing national conversations about political rhetoric and identity. Through victories and defeats, Allen remained a consequential figure in a rapidly changing Virginia, linking the state's traditional conservatism with its evolving, technology-driven economy and diverse electorate.

Our collection contains 8 quotes who is written by George, under the main topics: Freedom - Military & Soldier - Human Rights - War - Respect.