Nelson Robert Allen (October 27, 1933–April 28, 2005) was a former Kentucky state Senator renowned for his commitment to education.
[1] Allen was elected to the state Senate in 1973 from the 18th District (which includes Greenup, Carter, Lewis, Mason, Bracken, and Robertson Counties) and served until 1991.
Allen was named Most Colorful Senator in the 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982 sessions by the Capitol Press Corps.
He also served as president of the Eastern Kentucky Education Association and was also elected to the Greenup County Fiscal Court, a position he held at the time of his death.
He was survived by his wife of 40 years, Carol Lynne Rice Allen of Bellefonte, Kentucky, who was unsuccessful in her 2006 bid for the state Senate seat once held by her husband.