Allen moved to Portland, Maine in the early 1840s and studied law, working as a law clerk for General Samuel Fessenden, a local abolitionist and attorney. After passing the bar exam, he was granted his license to practice law in Maine on July 3, 1844. He experienced difficulty finding legal work in Maine because whites were unwilling to hire a black attorney and few blacks lived in Maine. In 1845 he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, walking fifty miles to the bar examtest site because he could not afford transportation, and passing the exam despite his fatigue. According to some sources, Allen and attorney Robert Morris in Boston opened the first black law office in the United States, but the authors of Sarah's Long Walk say there is "no direct knowledge that ever met", nor is such a partnership mentioned in Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944.
Judge
Racial prejudice in Boston again kept Allen from making a living as a lawyer so he sought to become a judge to supplement his income. After passing a rigorous qualifying exam for Justice of the Peace for Middlesex County, Massachusetts in 1848, Allen became the first African American in the United States to hold a judicial position, despite not being considered a U.S. citizen under the Constitution at the time. Following the AmericanCivil War, Allen moved to Charleston, South Carolina, to open a law office. In 1873, he was appointed as a judge in the Inferior Court of Charleston and one year later was elected as probate judge for Charleston County, South Carolina.
Federal post
After Reconstruction, Allen moved to Washington, D.C., where he was employed as an attorney in 1873 for the Land and Improvement Association. He continued to practice law until his death at age 78.
Marriage
While living in Boston, Allen met and married his wife Hannah, with whom he ultimately had five sons.
Chronology
1816 Born in Indiana. 1840 Moves to Portland, Maine 1844 Changes his name to Macon Bolling Allen 1844 Passes the bar in Maine on July 3 1845 In May, Allen walks 50 miles to take the bar exam in Worcester, MA 1845 Moves to Boston, Massachusetts, and is admitted to the bar on May 3 1846 Announces Boston law practice in several editions of The Liberator 1848 Becomes justice of the peace for Middlesex County 1868 Moves to Charleston, South Carolina 1872 Becomes a partner in William J. Whipper and Robert Brown 1873 Elected judge of the Inferior Court of Charleston in February 1874 Elected to the office of judge probate for Charleston County 1894 Dies in Washington, D.C. on October 10
