Carolyn Blanchard Allen

She was first elected to the Assembly in 1963 in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of David Blanchard. She was the first Wisconsin woman to be elected to the Legislature via a special election, and re-elected in 1964, 1966, and 1968. On August 30, 1969, she married Malcolm V. Allen in her home in Edgerton. In 1970, while easily winning her primary, she was defeated in the general election by Democrat Janet Soergel Mielke by 63 votes (5824 votes to 5761).^[2] She attempted to unseat Mielke in 1972, but fell short by a wider margin in what was now the 47th Assembly district.^[3]

For 24 years she lived in Evansville where she and Malcolm operated Allen Funeral Home. He died on May 16, 1987.^[4] Allen died on October 9, 2018, in Cambridge, Wisconsin, at the age of 97.^[5]