William P. Allen (1881-1941) worked at the DuPont Company as vice president and director as well as general manager of the Cellulose Products and Paint, Lacquer & Chemicals Department.

Allen was born in Philadelphia on August 21, 1881. He attended Rutgers University, graduating with a B.S. degree in chemistry. His first job was with the New Jersey Agricultural Experimental Station. In 1906, he joined E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company as a research chemist, going to work at the company's Eastern Laboratory. Three years later he joined the High Explosives Operating Department, and in 1914 he became superintendent of the Hopewell, Virginia dynamite plant. When this war plant closed in 1918, Allen came to Wilmington as head of the Service Department. He was named to a number of positions in the 1920s including general manager of the Cellulose Products Department and Paint, Lacquer & Chemicals Department. In 1928, he was elected director and vice president, becoming a member of the Executive Commttee. In 1931, he left the DuPont Company to become president of the Childs restaurant chain. He died on May 17, 1941.