Early Life

William Allen was a tanner was born in Cazenovia, NY. With his brother, George W. Allen, he learned the tanning business in his father's tannery in Cazenovia. In 1846 he moved to Milwaukee and set up a leather store with Edward P. Allis.

Career

About 1851 he was joined by his father, Rufus Allen, and his brother, George. Together they formed the Wisconsin Leather Company and constructed a tannery at Two Rivers in 1851. In 1861 they built a second tannery at Two Rivers and in 1870 opened a large tannery on the Kinnickinnic River in Milwaukee. During the 1860's and 1870's the firm prospered, and at one time was reputed to be the largest tannery in the world. In the late 1880's financial setbacks and the depletion of the bark supply caused the company's dissolution. 

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William Allen

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]