San Francisco County
Biographies
DANIEL
T. SULLIVAN
DANIEL T. SULLIVAN
was born in Taunton, Bristol county, Massachusetts, January
21, 1836; entered the law office of the late Judge Oliver Prescott, of New
Bedford, same county, and was admitted to the bar in May, 1859. He engaged
in the practice of law and soon afterward was appointed Justice of the Peace by
the Hon. N. P. Banks, and held that office several years. He practiced his
profession here until January, 1864, when he came to San Francisco and was
admitted to the bar. He was appointed by Judge De Los Lake to the position
of United States District Attorney for the Northern District of
California. He resigned this office in 1865 to accept a clerkship under
George C. Gorham, Chief Clerk of the United States Circuit and District Courts
of California, and also was United States Commissioner in civil and criminal
cases for two years thereafter, until he resigned. Since then he has
devoted his attention to the practice of his profession in all courts of the
State, more especially in the Federal Courts and admiralty. He was for two
years prosecuting officer for the city and county of San Francisco. He was
Counsel for Captain Sparks, of the ship Gatherer, which created much interest
in this country and Europe. There were two trials, the second one lasting
three weeks. The Captain was cleared. Watts, the chief officer of the
Gatherer was indicted at the same time with Captain Sparks, upon numerous
charges of the greatest cruelty to the seamen of the ship. Having eluded
arrest and escaped to Ireland, he was, at the request of the United States,
extradited by Great Britain, and brought back to San Francisco for
trial. His counsel, Judge Sullivan, having succeeded in clearing Watts
upon the indictment upon which he had been extradited, raised the point that he
could not be tried upon the other indictments upon which he had not been indicted,
and he was sustained by Judge Hoffman of the United States District
Court. The decision of Judge Hoffman was largely criticised
by the reviews, but it has been sanctioned by the United States Supreme
Court. Judge Sullivan is said to be a most excellent classical scholar.
When
a young man Judge Sullivan went to sea for two years, and became very
thoroughly familiar with every detail of seamanship. His experience has
proven of great value to him in the management of admiralty cases.
Judge
Sullivan married Miss Mary J. Cummings of Fairhaven; her ancestry
were of the old Puritan stock who came over in the Mayflower. They
have an interesting family of four sons and four daughters.
Transcribed
by 9-25-06 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: "The Bay of San
Francisco," Vol. 2, Pages 340-341,
Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
©
2006 Marilyn R. Pankey.