Pioneering Families with Roots in Madison County

Pioneering Families
... with Roots in Madison County

FRANK P. SULLIVAN, Sault Ste. Marie. Mr. Sullivan was born March 7, 1864, at Peterboro, Madison county, New York. His father, Jeremiah Sullivan, was of Irish nationality, and emigrated to America in 1828. He settled in New York State, where he still lives on a farm. His mother, Mary Sullivan, was also a native of Ireland, and came to this country in 1836. She was the mother of three children, all boys. His older brother, Andrew J., is a merchant at Great Falls, Montana, and his younger brother, Jeremiah Jr., is a farmer in New York. Frank P. Sullivan spent his early life under the parental roof. He was a bright scholar in the district school, and at the age of seventeen he was able to take a country school and engage in teaching. He taught for four years, and for the last year of that time he was employed in Michigan. In the meantime he attended Evans Academy at Peterboro and prepared himself for the State Normal at Albany, which he entered in the spring of 1881 for a three years' course. He located in Saginaw, Michigan, in October, 1885 and became a student of the law in the office of John Hurst, a practising attorney of that city. After spending a year in reading under instruction he taught school a year for the sake of recouping his finances, and studied evenings. He finished his preparation for admission to the Bar with Markey & Hall, at West Branch, where he was admitted to practice August 31, 1887. Mr. Sullivan went to the upper country in March of the following year and established himself at the "Soo." He still occupies the same office in which he first opened business in that city. John Hurst, of Saginaw, joined him, and the two became associated in a partnership which continued for several years and was finally dissolved upon the return of Mr. Hurst to Saginaw. Mr. Sullivan makes no specialty of any branch of practice, but does a general business, with conceded ability for criminal cases. He has achieved much success in that branch of professional labor. He has carried many cases to the Supreme Court, and acquitted himself well before that body. He has never been a candidate for any county office, but has served as chairman of the county and city Democratic committees. He became city attorney in 1891 and acted in that capacity for two years, and was subsequently re-elected. He was nominated in the fall of 1892 by the Democrats of his district for member of the Legislature, and was elected by a handsome majority. He was the only Democrat in either House from the Upper Peninsula. He took an active part in legislative deliberations and was one of the leaders of the minority on the floor of the House. He was on the corporation, judiciary and municipal committees. He introduced a bill making Labor Day a legal holiday, which became a law. He presented another bill revising the Constitution, which was defeated. He earnestly opposed all legislation looking to the repeal of the Miner Law, and secured the passage of an enactment of capital punishment by the Lower House, which was defeated in the Senate. He served one term and declined a renomination. He resigned the office of city attorney in 1896, preferring to devote himself entirely to his own professional business. He was married June 17, 1890, to Miss Minnie H. Hall, of Saginaw. They have one child, Lucile Margaret, born in 1895. Mr. Sullivan excels as an advocate, and has remarkable power over a jury for so young a man. He stands well with the Court and Bar and is a popular, genial gentleman.

Source: Bench and bar of Michigan: a volume of history and biography. Anonymous. Chicago: Century Pub. and Engraving Co., 1897, pp 538-539.