John Berchmans Sullivan (born
Sedalia, Missouri
Sedalia is a city located approximately south of the Missouri River and, as the county seat of Pettis County, Missouri, United States, it is the principal city of the Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had ...
October 10, 1897 – died
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...
January 29, 1951) was a member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
from
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
. He was a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
. He was married to
Leonor Kretzer Sullivan.
Sullivan was born in Sedalia and moved to
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
at the age of 13. He attended
parochial schools
A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The wo ...
in Sedalia and St. Louis and graduated from
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...
in 1918. During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he enlisted in the Army and served as a private in the infantry. He received his
J.D. degree from
Saint Louis University School of Law
Saint Louis University School of Law, also known as SLU LAW, is a private American law school located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is one of the professional graduate schools of Saint Louis University. The University hosted a law school briefly fro ...
in 1922 and began working in private practice. He also became active in state and local politics.
From 1936 to 1938 he served as associate city counselor in St. Louis and from 1938 to 1940 he served as secretary to Mayor
Bernard F. Dickmann
Bernard Francis Dickmann (September 7, 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri – December 9, 1971 in Collins, Mississippi) was the 34th mayor of St. Louis from 1933 to 1941.
Biography
Dickmann started work at the age of 16, working for a lumber company in ...
. In 1940 he was elected to Congress. He was defeated in a bid for re-election in 1942, but was again elected to Congress in 1944. He was again defeated in 1946, but made another come-back in 1948. In 1950 he was re-elected. He died January 29, 1951, of a
cerebral hemorrhage
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...
[Rep. Sullivan Dies at 53; Joplin News Herald; Joplin, Missouri; Page 3; January 30, 1951] and was buried at
Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis. In 1952 his widow
Leonor Sullivan
Leonor Kretzer Sullivan (August 21, 1902 – September 1, 1988) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri. She was a Democrat and the first woman in Congress from Missouri.
Biography
Born Leonor Kretzer in St. Loui ...
was elected to Congress and served until her retirement in 1976.
See also
*
References
External links
Official Congressional Biography*
Memorial services held in the House of Representatives together with remarks presented in eulogy of John Berchmans Sullivan, late a representative from Missouri
1897 births
1951 deaths
People from Sedalia, Missouri
Politicians from St. Louis
Saint Louis University alumni
Saint Louis University School of Law alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri
United States Army soldiers
20th-century American politicians
{{Missouri-politician-stub