Mark A. Sullivan (August 11, 1911 – November 9, 2001) was an American judge and sat on the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging the ...

for eight years. Sullivan was born in

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals Prior to 1947, the structure of the judiciary in New Jersey was extremely complex, including Court of Errors and Appeals in the last resort in all causes. The Court of Errors and Appeals was the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey from ...

, which was at the time New Jersey's highest court. Sullivan received his high school education at

St. Peter's Preparatory School Saint Peter's Preparatory School ("Saint Peter's Prep" or "Prep") is a private, all-male, Jesuit, college-preparatory school located in Jersey City, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. T ...

, his undergraduate degree from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

and his law degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

.Carter, Kathy Barrett (2001) "Justice Sullivan, 'a state institution,' dies at 90" ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...

'' (Newark, New Jersey) November 10, 2001, p. 29 During World War II he served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

as a combat intelligence officer aboard the escort aircraft carrier U.S.S. Croatan. In 1945 he was appointed as a judge in the 2nd District Court of Jersey City. After the 1947 Constitution changed the structure of the New Jersey judiciary, he sat in the same county, but now as Presiding Judge of the

Hudson County Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...

District Court. In 1953, he was elevated to the

New Jersey Superior Court The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts.Jeffrey S. Mandel, New Jersey Appellate Pra ...

."Statement of the New Jersey Supreme Court on the Death of Retired Associate Justice Mark A. Sullivan" November 13, 2001
, retrieved December 19, 2008 In 1959, Chief Justice

Joseph Weintraub Joseph Weintraub (1908–1977) graduated from Cornell Law School in 1930 and was Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1957 to 1973. He previously served as an associate justice of the same court from 1956 to 1957. See also *List of ...

, of the New Jersey Supreme Court, assigned him to the Appellate Division of Superior Court. Sullivan was appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court by Governor

William T. Cahill William Thomas Cahill (June 25, 1912July 1, 1996) was an American politician, lawyer, and academic who served as the 46th governor of New Jersey from 1970 to 1974. A Republican, Cahill previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, repr ...

and was sworn in on March 23, 1973. During his eight years on the court he authored many decisions, including the initial reversal of the murder conviction of boxer

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (May 6, 1937 – April 20, 2014) was an American-Canadian middleweight boxer, wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for murder, until released following a petition of habeas corpus after almost 20 years in prison. In ...

. Sullivan retired from the New Jersey Supreme Court under the mandatory retirement provision of the New Jersey Constitution on August 11, 1981. Sullivan, however, continued to serve the judiciary as an adjunct judge in the Superior Court in Monmouth County, and in such high-profile cases as the recount of the gubernatorial election in 1981. itzgerald, Mark (2000) "An Election Recount Remembered" ''Editor & Publisher'' December 12, 2000 retrieved December 19, 2008 Sullivan also accepted a number of administrative assignments for the N.J. Supreme Court, including several years service as the chairmanship of the New Jersey Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.

Personal life

Sullivan was married to Mary Josephine Hamill, the daughter of Congressman

James A. Hamill James Alphonsus Hamill (March 30, 1877 – December 15, 1941) was an American attorney and Democratic Party politician. He served as the U.S. representative from New Jersey's 10th congressional district from 1907 to 1913 and 12th district ...

. Justice Sullivan's wife predeceased him by two years. They had one son.

Notes

External links

Photograph of the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1972
Justice Sullivan at the left. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Mark Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey Georgetown University alumni Harvard Law School alumni Politicians from Jersey City, New Jersey St. Peter's Preparatory School alumni United States Navy officers 1911 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American judges Military personnel from New Jersey