James Brown Allen is an American historian of Mormonism and served as an official Assistant Church Historian of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1972 to 1979. Allen served in the Church throughout his life, including as a bishop of a student ward at BYU in the 1960s, a high councilor, a seminary and institute teacher, and a religion professor. He also served for a time as a District Republican committeeman. Allen earned a BA at Utah State University, a MA at BYU, and a PhD at the University of Southern California, all in history. Allen and his wife, Renée, have five children and twenty grandchildren. One of his daughters married the writer Orson Scott Card.