James E. Allen, Jr. (April 25, 1911 – October 16, 1971) was the Commissioner of Education for the State of New York from 1955 to 1969 and was U.S. Commissioner of Education for a year afterward. He was known for advocating the removal of prayer and segregation from public schools, as well as the creation and importance of educational television programs like Sesame Street. He appears at the end of This Way to Sesame Street giving a speech, comending the Children's Television Workshop for creating Sesame Street.