William Allen

William Randall Allen (June 29, 1919 – October 1, 1985) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto from 1962 to 1969. He is the namesake of the William R. Allen Road in Toronto, Ontario. Background Born in Buckingham, Quebec (on the outskirts of Ottawa, Ontario), Allen was a graduate of St. Michael's College School, the University of Toronto, and Osgoode Hall Law School. During World War II, he enlisted with the Queen's York Rangers and attained the rank of captain, serving overseas in Britain and Europe. After being called to the Ontario Bar in 1949, Allen was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1960. He married Marjorie Hornberger; together, they raised three children. His father, Robert Aloysius Allen, was an alderman and then a Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament representing Riverdale during the 1930s. Robert Allen was the first Liberal to be elected to the legislature from Riverdale since Confederation in 1867. Robert Allen's father-in-law, Randall McDonnell, was the mayor of Mayo, Quebec for 13 consecutive years.