William V. Sullivan
Encyclopedia
William Van Amberg Sullivan (December 18, 1857 March 21, 1918) was a United States Representative and Senator
from Mississippi.
, he attended the common schools in Panola County
and the University of Mississippi
at Oxford
, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall
. He graduated from Vanderbilt University
(Nashville, Tennessee
) in 1875, was admitted to the bar
that year, and commenced practice in Austin
. He moved to Oxford in 1877, was a member of the board of city aldermen, and was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-fifth Congress and served from March 4, 1897, to May 31, 1898, when he resigned, having been appointed Senator. He was appointed and subsequently elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Edward C. Walthall
and served from May 31, 1898, to March 4, 1901; he was not a candidate for reelection.
On September 8, 1908, William Sullivan led a lynch mob which murdered a black man named Nelse Patton. Mr. Patton had been accused of killing a white woman. William Sullivan was quoted a day later as saying, “I led the mob which lynched Nelse Patton, and I’m proud of it. I directed every movement of the mob and I did everything I could to see that he was lynched."
Sullivan retired from active business and resided in Washington, D.C.
; in 1918 he died in Oxford. Interment was in St. Peter’s Cemetery.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Mississippi.
Biography
Born near Winona, MississippiWinona, Mississippi
Winona is a city in Montgomery County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,482 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County....
, he attended the common schools in Panola County
Panola County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 34,274 people, 12,232 households, and 9,014 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 13,736 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
and the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
at Oxford
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall, also known as Saint Anthony Hall and The Order of St. Anthony, is a national college literary society also known as the Fraternity of Delta Psi at colleges in the United States of America. St...
. He graduated from Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
(Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
) in 1875, was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
that year, and commenced practice in Austin
Austin, Mississippi
Austin is an unincorporated community in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States.Austin was the third community to serve as county seat of Tunica County, from 1847-1888. In 1888, Tunica became the fourth and current seat of Tunica County. Earlier county seats were Commerce and Peyton ....
. He moved to Oxford in 1877, was a member of the board of city aldermen, and was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-fifth Congress and served from March 4, 1897, to May 31, 1898, when he resigned, having been appointed Senator. He was appointed and subsequently elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Edward C. Walthall
Edward C. Walthall
Edward Cary Walthall was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a postbellum United States Senator from Mississippi.-Biography:...
and served from May 31, 1898, to March 4, 1901; he was not a candidate for reelection.
On September 8, 1908, William Sullivan led a lynch mob which murdered a black man named Nelse Patton. Mr. Patton had been accused of killing a white woman. William Sullivan was quoted a day later as saying, “I led the mob which lynched Nelse Patton, and I’m proud of it. I directed every movement of the mob and I did everything I could to see that he was lynched."
Sullivan retired from active business and resided in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; in 1918 he died in Oxford. Interment was in St. Peter’s Cemetery.