William V. Sullivan

William Van Amberg Sullivan
United States Senator from Mississippi
In office May 31, 1898 – March 4, 1901
Preceded by	Edward C. Walthall
Succeeded by	Anselm J. McLaurin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 2nd district
In office March 4, 1897 – May 31, 1898
Preceded by	John C. Kyle
Succeeded by	Thomas Spight
Personal details
Born	December 18, 1857 Winona, Mississippi
Died	March 21, 1918 (aged 60) Oxford, Mississippi
Political party	Democratic

William Van Amberg Sullivan (December 18, 1857 – March 21, 1918) was a United States Representative and Senator from Mississippi.

Biography

Born near Winona, 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."^[1]

Sullivan retired from active business and resided in Washington, D.C.; in 1918 he died in Oxford. Interment was in St. Peter’s Cemetery.

References

1. "Ex-Senator Sullivan Will Stand Consequences for Directing Shooting.". New York Times. September 10, 1908. Retrieved 2010-03-23. A special from Oxford, Miss., quotes former United States Senator W.V. Sullivan as follows with reference to the lynching last night

External links

• William V. Sullivan at Find a Grave
• William V. Sullivan at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress