George M. Sullivan
| George Murray Sullivan | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 31, 1922 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | September 23, 2009 (aged 87) Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. |
| Occupation | Mayor of Anchorage, Alaska Senior Vice President of Western Airlines |
| Political party | Republican Party |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Eagan Sullivan |
| Children | 9 children (including "Dan" Sullivan) |
| Parent(s) | Harvey Sullivan Viola Murray |
George Murray Sullivan (March 31, 1922 – September 23, 2009) was an American politician from the state of Alaska who served as the Mayor of Anchorage from 1967 until 1981.
His father was Harvey Sullivan, a U.S. District Marshal who had followed the Chilkoot Trail in 1898 to join the Klondike Gold Rush. Harvey Sullivan met Viola Murray (who would become George's mother) in Valdez, where she was serving as Postmaster.
Sullivan was born in Portland, Oregon, as it was a common practice in the settler communities of Alaska in the first half of the 20th century for expectant mothers to leave Alaska to have their babies in not such a primitive environment. Sullivan grew up in Valdez, then the location of the federal court for the Third Judicial District of the Territory of Alaska. His mother was elected mayor in 1934. During the summer of 1937, he lied about his age in order to obtain a job at the Kennecott Mines; he was only 15, and the minimum age was 16.
After graduating from Valdez High School, Sullivan went on to join the Army during World War II and served in the Aleutian Islands. After the war, he lived in Nenana and worked as a Deputy Marshall. He married Margaret Eagan Sullivan (died 2007), the youngest daughter of Daniel and Isabelle Eagan of Fairbanks. Together, they had nine children, including Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan.
In 1952, the family moved to Fairbanks, where Sullivan was employed as the manager of a freight company. He was elected to the City Council and became active in the Republican Party. In 1959, the family moved to Anchorage, having been transferred there by the freight company. Sullivan would continue to play a role in the Fairbanks community for years to come. He is listed as one of the original incorporators of Mt. McKinley Bank, founded in 1965.
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