Tell us about Harry Allen! I’d love to know anything and everything about him!
With pleasure! I find Allen’s life both fascinating and absurdly hilarious, so I love talking about him!
Allen was born in 1882 in Indiana (so he was doomed from the start with that beginning) to Robert P. Pickerell and Jennie Gordon. We love a Midwest king! About a decade later, his family then moved to Seattle, which is fun, and is where he would get into the most mischief. His mother was very supportive of him, from letting him wear boys’ clothes and even going so far as to defending him in newspapers and testifying in court on his behalf. (For the time, that is extremely impressive and very brave of her so kudos to an amazing mom!)
From there, Allen would go on to work a hodge-podge of jobs, from bartending to a ranch hand, hotel clerk to shiphand. Along with that, he would begin learning how to box, which he was extremely skilled in, and would quite often fight cops when they tried to arrest him (due to the suspicion he was driving women to suicide–more on that in a moment–and the fact he was wearing men’s clothes in a time when that was an arrestable offense). He would also use the names Harry Livingston, George Allen (though only for a short time), and then settled on Harry Allen.
Also, during this time, and when he became notorious for things such as fighting the cops and causing disruption, the newspapers and public viewed him as an anomaly and were obsessed with reporting about him. These papers, of course, all used his deadname. Cue booing and hissing here. While that was unfortunately very common when it came to historical reporting on trans and gender non-conforming individuals, Allen was very outspoken against these publications and demanded they use he/him pronouns and his chosen name. (which is why in the sources, I have chosen to edit them to remove his deadname and address him with the proper pronouns, as that is what he wanted and we have that explicitly stated by him)
Now. The stories Allen is most known for.
Allen was a notorious womanizer. Seriously. This man liked his women, often to his own detriment. He flirted and was in relationships with many women, some of whom were married, and often pursuing several at one time. Which, you know, good for him, honestly. I am sure those women experienced more pleasure with him (in every meaning of that word) than with their husbands. From his own testimonies, the women knew he was a transgender man, and did not seem to mind--though the newspapers would spin that tale very differently, as we will soon see.
Quick content warning for discussions of suicide
While Allen was pursued by, and pursued, many women, there are four that are most famous due to supposedly killing themselves over him (though Allen maintained no one committed suicide specifically over him)
The first one would be Dolly Quappe, who would kill herself after three weeks of dating Allen. Several newspapers speculate she killed herself upon learning of his assigned gender at birth, though others would report it was due to the fact she discovered he was dating another woman, Molly Lacke, at the same time (and also had a locket with a photo of Molly. Which. I don’t think he had a locket photo of Dolly. So. Yikes). Either way, she ingested carbolic acid and died. RIP Dolly.
The second woman was named Hazel Walters who threw herself off a cliff after discovering that Allen was not born a man. In the note she left behind, she wrote, "I love you, Harry, though you are a living lie." So. There’s that.
The third woman (told you there was a list) was named Pearl Waldron. Her and Allen met at a dance, which is very cute and adorable and I just know that man was pulling out all his best dance moves to impress her. However, she did end up shooting herself–though exact reasons are unclear. The press loved the theory it was because Allen was transgender, but his mother believed she knew and didn’t care. Either way, she would be found and brought to the hospital, but refused to tell them who she was for at least an hour. Then she only would ask for Harry Livingston, which was the name he was using at the time. I don’t know if he did go and see her, but for the sake of a heartbreaking mental picture, I like to think he did.
The fourth, and final, and certainly not least, woman was named Gertie Samuels. She would also shoot herself in the chest when Allen left her at the altar, since they couldn’t be married (Which, Allen, if you knew that, why get that far??). This was also the time Allen started insisting the suicide connections were made up for drama, stating “No woman ever committed suicide over me. I just have a name, that’s all.”
After all of this, you think Allen would settle down and do something chill for the rest of his days. Right? Wrong! He would be arrested in 1911 for selling alcohol to an indigenous person and sent to jail, where he would stay for two months. There, the police tried to force him into wearing women’s clothing (fuck the cops) and he would refuse over and over again. They eventually gave him the choice between solitary confinement and wearing a dress. I think we all know what he chose (solitary confinement, obviously). Stupidly, all the newspapers could focus on was whether or not he had acquiesced and chosen a dress, printing at least five articles discussing if he had or not. Five articles. Over two months. I’m sure there had to have been actual news during that time, like, come on!
Then, at the age of 40, in 1922, Harry Allen would pass away from syphilitic meningitis (which I did not look up and do not want to know about), putting the final end to a wild, free, and authentic life.
Truly, Harry Allen is such a wonderful character. He was a womanizer, a skilled fighter, and someone who was not afraid to be unapologetically himself. In an era when being trans was illegal, Allen faced the world with strength, courage, tenacity, and a hell of a lot of charm.
Happy Pride Month, y’all! Flirt with several women (or your preferred gender) at once, in honor of Harry Allen!
Some of my absolute favorite headlines about him as a bonus:
"The Notorious [DEADNAME] in Town", The Ellensburgh Capital, Ellensburg, Washington, p. 3, February 13, 1900
"[DEADNAME] In Court; [His] Trial for Throwing a Spittoon at a Saloon Man Is Continued", Seattle Daily Times, p. 14, August 4, 1902
"[DEADNAME] Again", Seattle Daily Times, p. 17, July 10, 1904
"[DEADNAME] Again in Jail", Seattle Daily Times, p. 11, October 23, 1907
"Trousered [Man] Bites Policeman", Seattle Daily Times, p. 2, July 22, 1915
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