Overview
Ira was the youngest sibling of Ethan Allen and a co-investor in the Onion River Company. Ira became quite active in the formation of the new state of Vermont. However, he became embroiled in a mysterious plot to bring arms from Europe to Vermont with the potential to foment a Canadian Rebellion. Fighting these charges cost Ira all his assets and he died penny less in Philadelphia.
Ira provided an initial contribution of land and promised seed money to establish the University of Vermont. The University commemorates Ira’s seed money with a full body statue located in the entrance park.
Primary Sources
Allen, Ethan, Ira Allen, and J. Kevin Graffagnino. Ethan and Ira Allen: Collected Works. 3 vols. Benson, Vt: Chalidze Publications, 1992.
The Natural and Political History of the State of Vermont, One of the United States of America; to Which Is Added an Appendix Containing Answers to Sundry Queries Addressed to the Author. Rutland, Vt: C. E. Tuttle Co, 1969.
Biographies
Graffagnino, J. Kevin. Ira Allen: A Biography. Barre: Vermont Historical Society, 2024.
Hoyt, Edwin P. The Damndest Yankees: Ethan Allen & His Clan. Brattleboro, Vt: S. Greene Press, 1976.
Wilbur, James Benjamin. Ira Allen – Founder of Vermont 1751-1814. 2 vols. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1928.
