William V. Sullivan

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William V. Sullivan
United States Senator
from Mississippi
In office
May 31, 1898 – March 3, 1901
Preceded byEdward C. Walthall
Succeeded byAnselm J. McLaurin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Mississippi's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1897 – May 31, 1898
Preceded byJohn C. Kyle
Succeeded byThomas Spight
Personal details
BornWilliam Van Amberg Sullivan
(1857-12-18)December 18, 1857
Winona, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedMarch 21, 1918(1918-03-21) (aged 60)
Oxford, Mississippi, U.S.
PartyDemocratic

William Van Amberg Sullivan (December 18, 1857 – March 21, 1918) was an American lawyer and politician who served as both a United States representative and a Senator from Mississippi around the turn of the 20th century.

Biography

Born near Winona, Mississippi, he attended the common schools in Panola County and the University of Mississippi at Oxford, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall.[1]

He graduated from Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1875, was admitted to the bar that year, and commenced practice in Austin. He moved to Oxford in 1877, was a member of the board of city aldermen.

Congress

He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-fifth Congress and served from March 4, 1897, to May 31, 1898, when he resigned, having been appointed Senator.

He was appointed and subsequently elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Edward C. Walthall and served from May 31, 1898, to March 3, 1901; he was not a candidate for reelection.

Controversy

On September 8, 1908, Sullivan led a lynch mob which murdered a black man named Nelse Patton, who had been accused of killing a white woman. William Sullivan was quoted a day later as saying, "I led the mob which lynched Nelse Patton, and I'm proud of it. I directed every movement of the mob and I did everything I could to see that he was lynched."[2]

Retirement and death

Sullivan retired from active business and resided in Washington, D.C. In 1918, he died in Oxford.

References

  1. Negus, W. H. (1900). "Delta Psi". In Maxwell, W. J. (ed.). Greek Lettermen of Washington. New York City: The Umbdenstock Publishing Co. pp. 231–234.
  2. "Ex-Senator Sullivan Will Stand Consequences for Directing Shooting". New York Times. September 10, 1908. Retrieved March 23, 2010. A special from Oxford, Miss., quotes former United States Senator W.V. Sullivan as follows with reference to the lynching last night