Former Alabama Senator Maryon Allen has died. She died Monday night, according to her nephew, state Sen. Trip Pittman (R-Montrose). Allen was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1978 by then-Gov. George Wallace, following the death of her husband, Senator Jim Allen. But Mrs. Allen's tenure lasted only months. She lost a special primary election for the two years remaining on her husband's term. Democrat Donald Stewart would go on to win the seat, but lost in 1980. An interview she gave to the Washington Post, in which she made comments critical of Wallace and others, was cited as a factor in her defeat. After leaving the Senate, Allen -- a journalist -- wrote for the Post, then returned to Birmingham, where she owned a restoration and design firm. Maryon Allen was 92.