Peter F. Sullivan
Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts
In office
1920–1923
Preceded byPehr G. Holmes
Succeeded byMichael J. O'Hara
Member of the Massachusetts Senate for the 1st Worcester district
In office
1919–1919
Preceded byJames L. Harrop
Succeeded byChristian Nelson
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 17th Worcester district
In office
1901–1903
Preceded byWilliam I. McLoughlin
Succeeded byEdward H. O'Brien
Personal details
BornJune 29, 1869
Ireland
DiedMay 21, 1931 (aged 61)
Worcester, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
OccupationTravel agency owner

Peter F. Sullivan (June 29, 1869 – May 21, 1931) was an American politician who served as mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts, and was a member of the Massachusetts General Court.

Early life

Sullivan was born on June 29, 1869, in Ireland.[1][2] He and his family moved to Worcester when he was five years old.[3] Sullivan's father died when he was young he began working as a paperboy at the age of 10 to help support his large family.[3][4] During the Spanish–American War he was a bugler in Co. G of the 9th Regiment and was a war correspondent for the Boston Post and the Worcester Gazette.[1][2]

Business career

Sullivan's first job was as a paperboy for the Telegram. He then worked in the printing trade before starting a newsstand and periodical store with his brother, Dennis.[4] Sullivan later opened a steamship and railroad ticket agency and a bird store.[1][4] The ticket agency was successful, but the bird business was eventually dropped.[4]

Politics

Sullivan represented the 17th Worcester district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1901 to 1903. He was a member of the house insurance committee from 1901 to 1903 and the federal relations committee in 1903.[1] In 1903 he was defeated for renomination by Edward H. O'Brien.[5] From 1907 to 1910 he was a member of the Worcester Board of Aldermen. In 1919 he represented the 1st Worcester district in the Massachusetts Senate.[2] In 1919 he was elected Mayor of Worcester.[4] Following a 1920 blizzard, Sullivan, along with Clark College president Edmund Sanford, and Worcester Chamber of Commerce president Charles E. Hildreth, led a snow-clearing team of 8,000 volunteers, 2,000 city and railway employees, and 250 horse-drawn and motor vehicle apparatuses.[6] Sullivan was reelected over George W. Wright in 1920 and Fred A. Minor in 1921.[7] He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 1922 Massachusetts gubernatorial election.[8] He finished second in the Democratic primary behind former Boston mayor John F. Fitzgerald.[9] In 1923 he arranged for a group of New England mayors to mediate a telephone operators' strike.[10][11] In September 1923, Sullivan encouraged the citizens of Worcester to stay away from the Ku Klux Klan meeting at the Mechanics Hall. The meeting was held on September 27, 1923, and drew 2,500 KKK members or prospective members. A crowd of 25,000 gathered around the hall, however there were very few disturbances.[12] In 1923, Sullivan was defeated for reelection by Michael J. O’Hara by 576 votes.[13] In 1926, Sullivan was the Democratic nominee for the 4th congressional district seat in the United States House of Representatives. He lost to Republican incumbent George R. Stobbs 58% to 42%.[14]

Later life

Following his defeat, Sullivan led tour groups in Ireland. He and his groups sailed to his native country on the Celtic in 1925 and 1926, the Franconia in 1926, the Republic in 1927, the Laconia in 1928, the Cedric in 1929, and the Scythia and the St. Louis in 1930.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Sullivan died on May 21, 1931, at his home in Worcester of pneumonia.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 A Souvenir of Massachusetts legislators. 1903. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Boston review biographs of men in public life in Massachusetts. 1919. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Peter F. Sullivan". The Boston Daily Globe. May 22, 1931.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Worcester's Newsboy Mayor". The Boston Daily Globe. December 14, 1919.
  5. ↑ "Struck With Huge Stone". The Boston Daily Globe. September 26, 1903.
  6. ↑ "10,000 Volunteers Rout Snow King". The Boston Daily Globe. February 15, 1920.
  7. ↑ "Worcester Reelects Mayor Sullivan". The Boston Daily Globe. December 14, 1921.
  8. ↑ "Sullivan Seeks Bay State Nomination". The New York Times. July 9, 1922.
  9. ↑ Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth (1922). Election Statistics, 1922. Boston, MA.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ↑ "Nine Mayors Meet Today". The Boston Daily Globe. July 11, 1923.
  11. ↑ "Mayors to Hear Opposing Sides". The Boston Daily Globe. July 12, 1923.
  12. ↑ "Worcester Orderly as Klansmen Meet". The Boston Daily Globe. September 28, 1923.
  13. ↑ "O'Hara Beats Sullivan for Mayor of Worcester". The Boston Daily Globe. December 12, 1923.
  14. ↑ Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth (1926). Election Statistics, 1926. Boston, MA.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. ↑ "Finds Ireland Has Bumper Crop and Plenty of Peat". The Boston Daily Globe. August 3, 1925.
  16. ↑ "White Star Liner Celtic Sails After Embarking 191 Passengers". The Boston Daily Globe. September 27, 1926.
  17. ↑ "Franconia Calls to Take 532 Passengers". The Boston Daily Globe. May 31, 1926.
  18. ↑ "Liner Republic Off With Holiday Gifts". The Boston Daily Globe. December 12, 1927.
  19. ↑ "Laconia Takes on 534 Passengers at Boston". The Boston Daily Globe. June 11, 1928.
  20. ↑ "Steamship Cedric Leaves for Queenstown, Liverpool". The Boston Daily Globe. May 27, 1929.
  21. ↑ "Scythia Sails for Europe with Large Passenger List". The Boston Daily Globe. July 14, 1930.
  22. ↑ "Sailing to Spend Christmas in Ireland and Germany". The Boston Daily Globe. December 13, 1930.
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