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Allen may be best known for his support of bringing major league sports teams to the city. He convinced Atlantans to financially support the construction of major league stadiums and brokered the deals to bring the Braves and Hawks to Atlanta. He also persuaded the NFL to start a new franchise in the city: the Atlanta Falcons. Allan retired from politics in 1970.

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Allen also continued to bring growth to the city. He was instrumental in the building of Interstate 285, was an early advocate of the M.A.R.T.A. commuter rail line, and was responsible for 55 new building projects during his tenure as mayor.

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Allan was the son of business leader Ivan Allen, Sr. Born in Atlanta, Allen graduated from Georgia Tech and worked in his father’s office products company. From 1942-1945 he served in World War II, and after the war became president of his father’s company in 1946. As a leading figure in Atlanta for many years after World War II, Allen decided to run for mayor in 1961. A proponent for civil rights, Allen worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Atlanta’s business leaders to secure the city’s smooth transition into desegregation.

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As mayor of Atlanta, Ivan Allen (1911-2003) continued William B. Hartsfield’s aggressive development policies. However, he was also more adamant in the fight for civil rights as well. For example, on Allen’s first day as mayor he had all of the white and "colored" signs removed from city hall and desegregated the building’s cafeteria.