# George H. Sullivan *Minnesota state senator and 21st lieutenant governor of Minnesota (1916–1917)* George Henry Sullivan (December 20, 1867 – February 15, 1935) was a [[Minnesota]] state senator and the 21st [[Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota]].[^1] He reached that office by succession rather than by election. As president pro tempore of the [[Minnesota Senate]], he moved up when Lieutenant Governor [[Joseph A. A. Burnquist]] became [[Governor of Minnesota]] on the death of Governor [[Winfield Scott Hammond]].[^2] The source gives his term as lieutenant governor as October 28, 1916, to January 2, 1917.[^1] Sullivan was not a candidate in the 1916 lieutenant gubernatorial election, which [[Thomas Frankson]] won. Sullivan kept his Senate seat after that election.[^2] In 1918 Sullivan lost his Senate seat to W. W. Wilcox. Campaign literature for Wilcox had been found near a voting booth, contrary to the state's fair campaign practices act. The seat was then declared vacant, and Sullivan won the special election that followed.[^3] He was still in office when he died at Mahtomedi, Minnesota, in 1935.[^1] ## Career ### County and municipal attorney Sullivan became [[county attorney]] for [[Washington County, Minnesota]] in 1891.[^4] In 1901 he was appointed municipal attorney of [[Stillwater]], Minnesota, a post he held until 1907.[^4] ### Minnesota Senate In 1907 Sullivan won his first election to the Senate, from the 31st district, which then took in Washington County.[^5] Redistricting later renumbered the seat as district 43. He represented Washington County for the rest of his life.[^5] The Senate chose him as its president pro tempore in 1915.[^6] He held the seat until his death on February 15, 1935.[^1] ### Lieutenant governor The source's account of the succession contains dates that do not align. Its career narrative appears to place Hammond's death in December 1915, the year Sullivan became president pro tempore. In that account Burnquist, then lieutenant governor and president of the Senate, became governor, and Sullivan took Burnquist's former post.[^6] The same article's opening gives Sullivan's service as lieutenant governor as running from October 28, 1916, to January 2, 1917.[^1] No primary source in this record resolves the difference. Sullivan did not stand in the 1916 lieutenant gubernatorial election. Frankson won it, and Sullivan continued as a senator.[^2] ### The Wilcox-Sullivan contest In the 1918 Senate race, W. W. Wilcox finished 43 votes ahead of Sullivan.[^3] Sullivan sought a recount, and it narrowed Wilcox's lead to 35 votes.[^3] Literature from Wilcox's campaign had been found on election day within 50 feet of a voting booth. That placement breached Minnesota's fair campaign practices act.[^3] Wilcox's seat was declared vacant after he had held it for 26 days. Sullivan won the special election held to fill it.[^3] The source records this sequence. It does not identify the body that declared the seat vacant or the record on which that body acted.[^3] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *George H. Sullivan* (revision 1346052654, retrieved 2026-10-25; CC BY-SA 4.0) — lead: dates of birth and death, office as 21st lieutenant governor, service from October 28, 1916, to January 2, 1917, and death in office in Mahtomedi, Minnesota, in 1935. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Sullivan [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *George H. Sullivan* (revision 1346052654, retrieved 2026-10-25; CC BY-SA 4.0) — succession as president pro tempore when Burnquist was elevated to governor on Hammond's death; Sullivan not on the 1916 lieutenant gubernatorial ballot; Frankson's win; Sullivan's continued Senate service. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Sullivan [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *George H. Sullivan* (revision 1346052654, retrieved 2026-10-25; CC BY-SA 4.0) — the 1918 Wilcox-Sullivan contest: 43-vote margin, recount to 35 votes, Wilcox literature within 50 feet of a voting booth in violation of the fair campaign practices act, seat declared vacant after 26 days, special election won by Sullivan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Sullivan [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *George H. Sullivan* (revision 1346052654, retrieved 2026-10-25; CC BY-SA 4.0) — county attorney for Washington County from 1891; municipal attorney of Stillwater, 1901–1907. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Sullivan [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *George H. Sullivan* (revision 1346052654, retrieved 2026-10-25; CC BY-SA 4.0) — first elected to the Senate in 1907 from the 31st district (Washington County), later renumbered district 43; served the county for the rest of his life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Sullivan [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *George H. Sullivan* (revision 1346052654, retrieved 2026-10-25; CC BY-SA 4.0) — career section: election as president pro tempore in 1915; Hammond's death in December of that year; Burnquist's elevation and Sullivan's succession to his position. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Sullivan