Michael David Sullivan (December 2, 1938 – February 27, 2000)Beverly Pettigrew Kraft, "Justice Sullivan, 61, dead", ''Jackson Clarion-Ledger'' (February 28, 2000), p. 1A, 3A. was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Mississippi The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the Supreme court, highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in 1818 per the terms of the first constitution of the state and was known as the High Court of Errors and Appeals from 1832 to 1 ...

from 1984 until his death in 2000. Sullivan was appointed by Mississippi governor

Bill Allain William A. Allain (February 14, 1928 – December 2, 2013) was an American politician and lawyer who held office as the 59th governor of Mississippi as a Democrat from 1984 to 1988. Born in Adams County, Mississippi, he attended the Universit ...

in 1984 and reelected. Leslie Southwick
Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996
18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998). From 1975 until his Supreme Court appointment he was a chancery court judge. Born in

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County, Mississippi, Forrest County (where it is the county seat and most populous city) and extending west into Lamar County, Mississippi, Lamar County. The ci ...

, Sullivan received a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

from the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

, followed by a J.D. from

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

, "and a master of law in judicial process from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

". In 1960, he enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, where he remained until 1963, stationed on the USS ''Mitscher''. Sullivan was serving as a chancery judge for the tenth district of Mississippi when he was named to the state supreme court on February 16, 1984. Sullivan married Nancy Ezelle Sullivan, with whom he had two children, David Paul and Rachel Michel. They divorced, and then he married Catherine Carter Sullivan, with whom he had two children, Margaret Elizabeth and Sarah Catherine. A portrait of him by Bill Wilson was commissioned for the Mississippi Supreme Court. Sullivan ran unopposed for reelection to the seat in the November 1984 election.Jack Ryan, "Voters Decide Tuesday", ''McComb Enterprise-Journal'' (November 4, 1984), p. 1. Sullivan died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

at his home in Jackson, Mississippi, at the age of 61.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Michael D. 1938 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American judges People from Hattiesburg, Mississippi University of Southern Mississippi alumni Tulane University Law School alumni Lawyers from Jackson, Mississippi Deaths from lung cancer in Mississippi Justices of the Supreme Court of Mississippi