George Kirtland Allen, 1877-1957

ALLEN

Posted By: Emmet County IAGenWeb Coordinator (email)
Date: 7/28/2006 at 07:21:02

G. K. Allen, Former Publisher, Dies at 79

George Kirtland (Kirt) Allen, 79, lifetime resident of Estherville, for many years editor and publisher of the Estherville Enterprise and a former city mayor, died yesterday at Holy Family hospital of a heart ailment. Mr. Allen had been admitted to the hospital last Monday after a heart attack.

Mr. Allen, who would have been 80 on Oct. 25 was the son of George C. and Margaret McCulla Allen. He was born in 1877. His father was one of the early residents of the city, coming here in 1871 from Fort Dodge.

He was graduated from Estherville high school in 1896 and from the University of Iowa School of Law in 1898. He was united in marriage to Georgia Bass, Dec. 25, 1903, at Madison, Wisc. Two children were born, Herbert and Margaret.

Mr. Allen was a partner of E. A. Morling in the law firm Morling & Allen from 1899 until 1904. From that time until 1913 he practiced law in his own law office.

In 1913 he went into partnership with his father in a newspaper, The Enterprise. He later became editor and publisher and published papers
until April, 1955, when the Enterprise suspended publication.

Mr. Allen was a past director of the Chamber of Commerce, former president of the Spirit Lake Protective association, assistant scoutmaster of a boy scout troop, and was mayor of Estherville from 1954 to 1956. A member of the Presbyterian church for 50 years, Mr. Allen also belonged to the Chamber of Commerce and Elks Lodge. He was active in the Republican party, serving the party in several capacities during his lifetime.

Survivors in addition to his wife, Georgia, is a son, Herbert K. of Estherville, and a daughter Margaret of Detroit, Mich. Also surviving are four grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Sandin-Fuhrman Funeral Home with the Rev. Thomas G. Melton officiating. Burial will be in Oak
Hill Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Linn Foderberg, Guy Tibbetts, Emlet Twito, George Brunskill, Martin Berge, and Albert Heywood. The body
will lie in state from this evening until services Wednesday morning during which time friends may call at Sandin-Fuhrman.

Source: Unknown.

Contributor Note: date of death penciled on the obit is 9-8-1957