John L. Sullivan (United States Navy)

John Sullivan
United States Secretary of the Navy
In office
September 17, 1947 – May 24, 1949
President Harry S. Truman
Preceded by James Forrestal
Succeeded by Francis P. Matthews
Personal details
Born John Lawrence Sullivan
(1899-06-16)June 16, 1899
Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
Died August 8, 1982(1982-08-08) (aged 83)
Exeter, New Hampshire, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Education Dartmouth College (BA)
Harvard University (LLB)

John Lawrence Sullivan (June 16, 1899 – August 8, 1982) was Assistant Secretary of the Navy (AIR) 1946-47 and the first Department of Defense Secretary of the Navy in the Truman Administration 1947-49. He was appointed to that position upon Secretary Forrestal's installation as the first Secretary of Defense. He resigned in protest after the second Secretary of Defense, Louis A. Johnson, canceled the heavy aircraft carrier United States. This event was part of an interservice conflict known as the Revolt of the Admirals.

Sullivan's major contributions to the Navy's future directions include the advent of naval nuclear propulsion. In 1947, then-Captain Hyman G. Rickover went around his chain-of-command and directly to the Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, by chance also a former submariner, to pitch his ideas for creating a nuclear-powered warship. Nimitz immediately understood the potential of nuclear propulsion and recommended the project to Sullivan, whose endorsement to build the world's first nuclear-powered vessel, USS Nautilus (SSN-571), later caused Rickover to state that Sullivan was "the true father of the Nuclear Navy."[1][2]

Biography

John L. Sullivan (right) and John S. McCain, Sr. aboard USS Shangri-La (CV-38)

Born in Manchester, New Hampshire, he was an alumnus of Dartmouth College.[3] He died on August 8, 1982.

A biographical book entitled A Different Time, A Different Man written by Stephen Clarkson (published 2012) chronicles the life of Sullivan.[2][4]

He graduated from Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School.

References

  1. ↑ LIFE magazine, September 8, 1958, page 108
  2. 1 2 Abstract
  3. ↑ "John L. Sullivan Papers". Truman Library. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  4. ↑ ISBN 978-1931807982, Contents
Government offices
Preceded by
Artemus Gates		 Assistant Secretary of the Navy (AIR)
July 5, 1945 – June 17, 1946		 Succeeded by
John N. Brown
Preceded by
Artemus Gates		 Under Secretary of the Navy
June 17, 1946 – September 18, 1947		 Succeeded by
W. John Kenney
Preceded by
James V. Forrestal
(cabinet)		 United States Secretary of the Navy
(DoD)
September 18, 1947 – May 24, 1949		 Succeeded by
Francis P. Matthews


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