governor april december lawyer politician massachusetts early associate justice served state attorney general years governor state death sullivan born raised maine massachusetts studied law brother john establishing successful law practice actively involved massachusetts state government american revolutionary war appointed state highest court march involved drafting state constitution state convention united_states_constitution resigning bench returned private practice appointed attorney general years judge attorney general responsible drafting state legislation transition british rule independence attorney general worked commission established border maine new_brunswick prosecuted high profile murder cases sullivan political partisan supporting democratic republican party republican ideals supported political careers frequent contributor political dialogue state newspapers ran unsuccessfully governor times finally winning office died office second term addition political pursuits sullivan engaged charitable business endeavors leading proponent middlesex canal bridge boston cambridge instrumental development boston public water supply founding president held membership variety charitable organizations wrote histories native maine legal text land titles legal historian calls important legal figures time massachusetts life born april fourth son state maine sullivan father mother child aboard ship came older elder sullivan farmer sullivan educated home prospects military service foot crushed childhood accident afflicted relatively young suffered generally mild lasting hours rest life foot injury read great deal learning latin classics elder brother john studying law instructed supply brother law books training sullivan studied law brother law practice durham new_hampshire eventually admitted bar massachusetts established practice georgetown shortly afterward town resident lawyer married daughter successful portsmouth new_hampshire merchant sullivan law practice flourished time leading citizens supplemented legal work acting agent boston based merchant interests including boston wealthiest men services lawyer defending land claims sullivan offered tract claims defended accepted property organized named birthplace father helped settle town personally assisting clearing land march incorporated town according sullivan financial rewards invest local real estate including mills revolution sullivan early outspoken opponent british colonial policies leading revolution elected provincial assembly met june sullivan leader calling continental congress governor indefinitely delayed meeting assembly following october members met establishing body exercised facto control massachusetts early years american revolutionary war addition sitting provincial congress sullivan leading organizer colonial defenses sitting committee correspondence bodies sent commission inspect troops facilities fort upstate new_york nominally control issued massachusetts colonel commission succeeded capturing assistance journey sullivan ill months afterward late sullivan member committee drafted legislation establishing terms positions established admiralty judges sullivan appointed admiralty judge eastern district maine addition duties period service provincial congress drafted large legislation activities committees resigned post march offered seat known judicial service postwar activities time appointment bench position seen particularly risky clear representation anti british authority thought lives british succeed putting rebellion noteworthy case sullivan sat preliminary hearing commonwealth cases court decided slavery incompatible state constitution sullivan publicly expressed opposition slavery predicted writings issue contentious future sullivan participated convention drafted new state constitution rest court active state laws document old statutes assisting drafting new ones sullivan awarded honorary degree served court resigned salary insufficient meet expenses longer afford cover difference opened law office boston moved house arlington cambridge elected represent massachusetts attend financial reasons politically active state supporting governor prolific writer contributing frequently political discourse took place massachusetts newspapers variety sullivan participated defense individuals charged participation rebellion uprising rural parts state begun previous year activity earned criticism pro government members massachusetts debated ratification united_states_constitution sullivan number massachusetts politicians expressed reservations document generally supported ratification debate proposed convention adopt constitution subject congress considering acting suite amendments seven amendments sullivan proposed primarily designed increase state powers expense congress federal courts example allowed state supreme courts issues corpus persons charged federal crimes attorney general rewarded sullivan support appointment state attorney general post held supported democratic republican party views relatively moderate retained post state attorney general despite dominance state sullivan legal work independence framed republican ideals expressed wide ranging support individual rights including women children minorities manifested letters contemporaries including cases argued lawyer decisions judge attorney general defended state loyalist recovery action involving rights married women time rights common law doctrine arguing loyalist wife right abandoned property question sullivan supported harsh laws property loyalists fled country fought british later took clients personal friends loyalists seeking recover property native maine mixed record representing state large scale land taking work included powerful politicians state interest difficulties surrounding land titles maine prompted write seminal work subject history land titles massachusetts cases highest profile sullivan prosecuted attorney general criminal cases prosecuted murderer retained defense council convicted murdering local woman escaped conviction eventually captured near canadian border hanged sullivan faced sensational trial accused murdering older attorney retained assist collection debt austin republican father politically charged atmosphere day boston fearing safety armed pistol younger austin apparently initiative sought beat cane fatally shot encounter defended lawyers including acquitted murder jury patriot sullivan continued private legal work served attorney general career spanning years law practice largest successful state acknowledged expert admiralty law described legal historian important legal figures time massachusetts maine new_brunswick border commission sullivan appointed secretary state united_states agent commission established terms jay treaty border maine british canadian province new_brunswick southern portion border defined saint river treaty paris ended american revolutionary war question river actually area time sparsely poorly surveyed maps area contained conflicting references named river sullivan responsibility gather relevant maps legal documents present legal case claim border addition researching materials massachusetts archives sullivan spent significant time exploring poorly surveyed remote bay attempting build case river intended treaty river location french settlement island river commissioners agents explored area ordered surveys surveys located evidence settlement commission fixed southern portion border known saint river disposition islands bay settled northern portion border fixed governor sullivan received republican nomination governor lost landslide lent strength cause eventually began gaining ground massachusetts sullivan nominated governor losing times popular incumbent governor republicans gained control massachusetts legislature managed nearly deny strong narrow victory fewer votes balance republican controlled legislature returns partisan manner ballots strong retaining sullivan performing ways favored candidate process concluded finding strong fact lacked majority votes required carry election opposed modern requirement strong allies legislature able partisan nature analysis resulting hostile public backlash proclaimed winner biased analysis corrected count favor sullivan faced strong time decisively victorious carrying eastern counties present day maine wide margin amid series republican victories new_england sullivan sought ways moderate voice highly partisan disagreements republicans supported policy president trade great_britain france embroiled napoleonic wars act significant negative impact shipping interests based massachusetts ports sought use threats war jefferson administration sullivan senator wrote open letter raising war charging jefferson failing publish critical documents ongoing negotiations asked sullivan formally send state legislature view imply sullivan agreement content sullivan refused fact charge republicans generally damaging information sullivan defense included letters senator charges sufficient ensure sullivan reelection control legislature returned republicans unhappy sullivan handling political attacks refusal remove patronage positions government legislature immediately launched attacks sullivan republicans sullivan immediately able respond spring opening legislature sullivan health began decline organic disease heart unable seize initiative finally speech assembly failed respond political aspects dispute called national unity dealing outside interests warnings jefferson nature contentious disputes going state attributed jefferson declining mental state sullivan health sought delay slate presidential election sullivan vetoed slate chosen legislature popular vote legislative majority assured hopes actions states decision massachusetts sullivan came criticism political partisans sides issuing large numbers ostensibly avoid civil strife event grain shortage legislature met november rejected proposal sullivan popular elections determine state electoral slate instead chose slate supporting president vote republicans based widespread opinion likely lose presidential election sullivan health failing electoral votes congress died office december aged interred boston tomb shared colonial governor business economic development charity addition political legal activities sullivan engaged wide variety civic charitable work founding member president charter member involved indians charitable society supported ministers sullivan major moving force leading director company oversaw middlesex canal construction began canal connected present day port boston ending roughly sullivan square named honor deeply involved canal purchasing necessary land supervising construction time involved company formed build bridge connecting boston cambridge instrumental development boston public water supply wooden family legacy sullivan brothers active participants revolutionary war john daniel served continental_army john served distinction retired army enter new_hampshire politics captured battle spent time captive subjected torture daniel captured action died aboard british prison ship sullivan maine named brother daniel early settlers area places new_hampshire named john sullivan governor small fortification known constructed maine named uncertain early historian states john james likely candidates preferring john association general ordered fort construction sullivan wife children died young son died hardships militia service rebellion died afterward married widowed sister new_hampshire politician sullivan enduring interest maine led write history published work document history maine historian writes sullivan history thoroughly researched particularly written self conscious expression romantic nationalism picturesque romantic inspired sullivan predicted maine eventually separate massachusetts large populous situation peculiar remain long state works sullivan james pamphlet boston sons sullivan james history boston sullivan james history land titles massachusetts boston
James Sullivan (governor)