Edgar Allan (February 26, 1842 – October 28, 1904), emigrated from England to become a U.S. soldier during the American Civil War, then settled in Virginia, where he became a lawyer, a farmer and a leading Republican politician.
Allan emigrated to the United States in 1863 and some months later volunteered to enlist in the 7th Michigan Cavalry, led by George Armstrong Custer.
Wounded at the Battle of Shepherdstown in late 1864, Allan returned to service before being discharged at the war's end, but would suffer the effects the rest of his life.
Despite his relatively young age and inexperience, Allan contributed often in the 1868 convention's debates, including his misgivings about certain aspects of the constitution finally drafted because he was concerned that re-enfranchised Confederates would attempt to limit rights of African Americans.
He gained considerable acclaim in the African-American community there, especially in 1892 for his representation of Bettie Lewis, the acknowledged mulatto daughter of a rich white industrialist who on his deathbed said he wanted her to inherit his estate, but who died without a will and the administrators refused to follow the oral instructions.
"[2] In 1900, Allan challenged former Confederate John Lamb to represent Virginia's 3rd congressional district (then compact and centered on Richmond, although now meandering through several counties to the south), but did not succeed.