William B. Allen

William Allen
Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights
In office
August 8, 1988  October 23, 1989
PresidentRonald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Preceded byClarence Pendleton
Succeeded byArthur Fletcher
Personal details
Born1944 (age 8081)
Fernandina Beach, Florida, U.S.
ChildrenDanielle
EducationPepperdine College (BA)
Claremont Graduate University (MA, PhD)

William Barclay Allen (born 1944) is an American author, professor, and political scientist from Fernandina Beach, Florida. He was a member of the National Council on the Humanities from 1984 to 1987 and chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights from 1988 to 1989. Allen ran as a Republican for a U.S. Senate seat in California in 1986 and 1992, losing in the primary election each time. Allen has been described as a "conservative black leader in education."