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Francis Allen was a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, from 1962 to 1986, and dean of the Law School, from 1966 to 1971. He also taught at Northwestern University, Harvard, the University of Chicago, and the University of Florida. He was chairman of the Attorney General's Commission on Poverty and the Administration of Federal Criminal Justice (1963), and took part in the psychosurgery court case Kaimowitz vs. Department of Mental Health for the State of Michigan, 1972-1979. Papers include a biography and bibliography, correspondence, published and unpublished works, court proceedings of the psychosurgery trial, speeches, other court documents, as well as sample examinations from his various law school courses.

The Francis A. Allen Papers are composed of professional and personal documents spanning 1940-2006, with the majority of the documents dating between 1950-2000. The bulk of the papers (roughly 50 percent) are correspondence, including professional, academic, and personal documents. The next biggest sub-set is a sampling of some of his published works as well as unpublished works. There are also documents from court cases he was involved in, speeches he delivered over the course of his career, and samples of student examinations he gave while teaching as a law school professor.