Jeremiah C. Sullivan (July 21, 1794 – December 6, 1870) was a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from 1837 to 1846 and coined the name " Indianapolis" for the new state capital. Jeremiah Sullivan's father, Thomas Littleton Sullivan, was the son of an Irish barrister and emigrated from Charleville,

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, in 1791 to Augusta County, Virginia. Jeremiah began his studies at

The College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...

in Virginia. After serving in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, during which he rose to the rank of major, he returned to Virginia to study law. He was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1816. Believing that there was more opportunity in the newly opened West, he ventured out to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. On his way, he was told of the opportunities offered by

Madison, Indiana Madison is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. As of the 2010 United States Census its population was 11,967. Over 55,000 people live within of downtown Madison. Madison is the larges ...

, a new and growing town on the banks of the Ohio River. He built his home in 1818 and from this base went on to carve a career as state legislator, state supreme court judge, county judge, Presbyterian elder, and Mason. He helped found nearby

Hanover College Hanover College is a private college in Hanover, Indiana, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Founded in 1827 by Reverend John Finley Crowe, it is Indiana's oldest private college. The Hanover athletic teams participate in the H ...

and the

Indiana Historical Society The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is one of the United States' oldest and largest historical societies and describes itself as "Indiana's Storyteller". It is housed in the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center at 450 West Ohio Street ...

. Sullivan’s public career was immediately successful.

Jonathan Jennings Jonathan Jennings (March 27, 1784 – July 26, 1834) was the first governor of Indiana and a nine-term congressman from Indiana. Born in either Hunterdon County, New Jersey, or Rockbridge County, Virginia, he studied law before migrating to the ...

, the first Governor of Indiana, quickly appointed him prosecuting attorney in Madison and within three years of his arrival he was elected a member of the state legislature. While in the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...

, he gave Indianapolis its name. He was a member of the Indiana Supreme Court from 1837 to 1846. In 1869, a criminal court was created for Jefferson County, and he was appointed judge. Judge Sullivan's house, the Jeremiah Sullivan House, in Madison, is acknowledged to have been the first brick mansion built in the Northwest Territory. It is now on tour and is a component of the Madison Historic District. Among his sons were

Algernon Sydney Sullivan Algernon Sydney Sullivan (1826-1887) was an American lawyer noted for his role in the business law firm Sullivan & Cromwell. Biography Early life Algernon Sydney Sullivan was born in Madison, Indiana on April 5, 1826, son of Jeremiah Sulliv ...

, founder of the Sullivan & Cromwell law firm in New York, and

Jeremiah C. Sullivan Jeremiah Cutler Sullivan (October 1, 1830 – October 21, 1890) was an Indiana lawyer, antebellum United States Navy officer, and a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was among a handful of former Navy officers ...

and Thomas Crook Sullivan, Civil War generals.

References

* *Indiana Magazine of History, "Jeremiah C. Sullivan, Hoosier Jurist"
Indiana Supreme Court biography

References

See also