Who is Henry McAllan from Mudbound and what is their importance?

Henry McAllan is a college educated man who is much older than the typical bachelor searching for a wife. Henry grew up on a farm in the Mississippi Delta and longs to have another. Injured in the First World War, Henry works stateside during the Second World War saving up money to buy a new farm. When his brother-in-law dies, Henry takes advantage of the situation in order to buy that farm.