Leo J. Sullivan (December 8, 1905 – February 1, 1963) was an American government official from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

who served as commissioner of the

Boston Police Department The Boston Police Department (BPD), dating back to 1854, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest municipal police department in the United States. The ...

from 1957 to 1962.

Early life

Sullivan was born on December 8, 1905, in

South Boston South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformati ...

. He attended

The English High School The English High School of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is one of the first public high schools in America, founded in 1821. Originally called The English Classical School, it was renamed The English High School upon its first relocation ...

and

Saint Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889, it is the third-oldest Catholic college in New England. Named for Saint Anselm of Canterbury (Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to ...

Political career

Sullivan began his political career in 1934 as an unsuccessful candidate for the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

. It would be the only defeat he suffered in his career. He was elected to the House in 1936 and served there from 1937 to 1941. From 1941 to 1947 he represented the 4th Suffolk District in the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the ...

. In 1946 he defeated 40-year incumbent W. T. A. Fitzgerald to become Suffolk County Register of Deeds. As register, Sullivan worked to modernize the office. This included photostating every document which came through the registry and making microfilms of all the records in the land division. Sullivan managed

Foster Furcolo John Foster Furcolo (July 29, 1911 – July 5, 1995) was an American lawyer, writer, and Democratic Party politician from Massachusetts. He was the state's 60th governor, and also represented the state as a member of the United States House of ...

's campaign in Suffolk County during the 1956 gubernatorial election.

Police Commissioner

In 1957, Furcolo appointed Sullivan to the position of Boston police commissioner. During his tenure as commissioner, Sullivan broke up the special service squad, established a juvenile squad, and eliminated 101 positions from the department (which saved the city $550,000 a year). He supported consolidation of stations and opposed legislation to return the department under city control. In 1961,

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

aired a program called "

Biography of a Bookie Joint "Biography of a Bookie Joint" is an American documentary that aired on November 30, 1961, on CBS under the network's ''CBS Reports'' banner. It documented Swartz's Key Shop, an illegal bookmaking establishment located at 364 Massachusetts Avenue in ...

", which showed police officers entering and exiting Swartz's Key Shop, an illegal gambling parlor. After the broadcast, Governor

John A. Volpe John Anthony Volpe (; December 8, 1908November 11, 1994) was an American businessman, diplomat, and politician from Massachusetts. A son of Italian immigrants, he founded and owned a large construction firm. Politically, he was a Republican in i ...

hired James D. St. Clair to prepare removal proceedings against Sullivan. After Sullivan refused to resign, Volpe brought him before the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...

's on charges of splitting renovation and repair contracts, failing to advertise contract bids, engaging in the insurance business while serving as commissioner, and neglecting his duty by not ordering an investigation into the officers who were filmed visiting Swartz's Key Shop. Sullivan resigned on March 15, 1962, during the hearings on his removal.

Death

Sullivan died on February 1, 1963, at his home in South Boston.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Leo J. 1905 births 1963 deaths 20th-century American legislators Commissioners of the Boston Police Department Democratic Party Massachusetts state senators Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Register of deeds in Suffolk County, Massachusetts Saint Anselm College alumni Politicians from Boston 20th-century Massachusetts politicians

Early life

Political career

Police Commissioner

Death

See also

References