Joseph Aloysius "Bo" Sullivan (February 10, 1937 – March 13, 2000) was chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and a Republican Party politician who sought the nomination for
Governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...
He was born on February 10, 1937. Sullivan played football at
Newark Academy
Newark Academy is a coeducational private day school located in Livingston, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in sixth through twelfth grades. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Coll ...
and was a 1959 graduate of
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
, where he played football and graduated cum laude. He received his law degree in 1964 from
Seton Hall University School of Law
Seton Hall University School of Law is the law school of Seton Hall University, and is located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Seton Hall Law is the only private law school in New Jersey, and, according to the ''U.S. News & World Report'' rankin ...
. Sullivan. After Princeton he worked full-time at his father's firm, Bomont Industries and went to law school at night, earning a degree in 1964.Bo Sullivan Having Fun, The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 23 Apr 1981, page 7, accessed December 28, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16073468/bo_sullivan_having_fun_the/
He was the president and CEO of Bomont Industries, once among the largest manufacturers of typewriter ribbons in the United States. Bomont was founded by Sullivan's father in
Totowa, New Jersey
Totowa (pronounced "TO-tuh-wuh" ) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 10,844,
Political career
Sullivan served as Finance Chairman of the Essex County Republican Committee and was a top fundraiser for Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Campaign for governor
In 1980, Sullivan began to plan a campaign for governor of New Jersey. In order to increase his national exposure, Sullivan threw a large party at the 1980 Republican National Convention. A newcomer at the time, he joked that he once had been elected, but it was to be captain of the football team at Newark Academy. Campaigning in 1981, Sullivan eschewed public financing and spent more than $2 million of his own money to win the Republican nomination for governor, but was unsuccessful. He finished third in an eight-candidate field, behind former Assembly Speaker
Thomas Kean
Thomas Howard Kean ( ; born April 21, 1935) is an American businessman, academic administrator and politician. A member of the Republican Party, Kean served as the 48th governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. Following his tenure as governor, ...
and former Paterson Mayor Pat Kramer. His campaign was managed by Karl Ottesen, who had run the stealth U.S. Senate race of
Al D'Amato
Alfonse Marcello D'Amato (born August 1, 1937) is an American politician born in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. He served as United States Senator for New York between 1981 and 1999. He subsequently founded a lobbying firm, Park Strategies.
...
in New York the previous year. The race got a little nasty when the second-generation Irish American Sullivan sort of criticized Kean for his patrician background. In trying to portray Kean as out of touch with common folk, Sullivan ran a TV ad that said "This isn't the kind of guy who would buy you a beer in Bayonne." Toward the end of the campaign, he received support from key Right to Life groups.
The election results were:
Sullivan won kudos from GOP leaders when he showed up at Kean's victory celebration to offer his support. Later, he joined Kean for a beer at a Bayonne bar. After Kean won, he named Sullivan as chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
Later roles
He served as New Jersey Co-Chairman of George H. W. Bush's 1988 presidential campaign, and was a part of the Bush transition team recruiting candidates from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware for federal posts. He was often mentioned as possible
United States Ambassador to Ireland
The United States Ambassador to Ireland is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States of America to Ireland. It is considered a highly prestigious position within the United States Foreign Service. The current ambassa ...
under Bush. He was viewed as a likely candidate for governor in
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
, but declined to run.Sullivan Won't Enter NJ Race For Governor, Courier-Post (Camden, New Jersey) 15 Jan 1989, page 20, accessed December 28, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16073518/sullivan_wont_enter_nj_race_for/
Death
A resident of
Essex Fells, New Jersey
Essex Fells is a borough in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 2,113,New Vernon section of
Harding Township, New Jersey
Harding Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. It is located in the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The township was formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on Sept ...