The Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1870-1875, 1870-12-08
From the Indianapolis Journal, TN inst
Roaxn OF JudgB sullivan

emiah Sullivan, which occurred at his
bome in Madison, on Monday night,
from heart disease. Although past
the extreme limit of age allotted TO
man, he vas rs full of vigor and ap.
parent health as of honored years.
There was no promonition Of the APP
preaching end Of his well spent life,
for he had that day presided as usual
over the sittinEs OF the Jefferson
County Criminal Court.
Judge Sullivan was born In Har-
risonburgh, Virginia, IN the year
1873. and was consequently eighty
wears OF age at the time OF
hrs death. Spending his boy
hood. youth and early manhood in
that State, be moved West, aud set
tIed in Madison in 1919 or 1870, where
he at ouee commenced the practice OF
che profession in which In after life
be gained 80 high distinction. In 1871
he was married 10 Miss Cutler, from
which union sprung three sons and
three daughters, WAC survive their
/ fathers decease. Very shortly after
/ his location in Madison he was elect
ed TO the State Legislature, which
then held its sessions in CoTydon, and
| in 1927 be was pitted as q candidate
for Congress- against Governor John
J Jennings, but was defeated. de had
no particular taste for politics, and
after that campaign he withdrew from
the excitement of political life and
/ devoted himself entirely to the law.
He was elected to the Supreme Bench
Of the State about 1851, and contIn-
usd to serve as one of its } judges IN
I - Al.
was a coupeer of Blackford and Dswey
Ia Supreme Court chosen at Q period
when the Jurisprudence OF Indiana
was in a formative state = gaining
equal distinction with his two col
versally recognized during its incum-
bency, and has been held upat oil times
since. a. d model for its learning and
integrity. The decisions OF Judge
Sullivan are marked by a force OF
| logic, q clearnes5 and elegance OF dc
ton. aud mastery Of the principles
and history OF the law which have
made them conspicuous among the
numberlsss able Judgments emanating
from our highest Court. The atten-
tion Of the law student IS has been
/ directed to them as the Hhimd thule
of a reasonable ambition, and many
attorneys, the State over, W DO had no
personal acquaintance. will feel that
in his death they have lost q friend
known and admired from q study of
the reports Of the Old Count.
At the last session Of the Legisla-
ture q Criminal Court was established
l in Jefferson County, and Judge Sulh-
van was appointed By Gov. Baker its
Judge. At the recent election he
was the candidate against the regular
/ Republican nominee, heading oltl-
zens' movement, and was chosen By q
decided majority to continue upon the
bench. It was in the discharge of
that duty death overlook him. After
so lengthy q service in the legal pro-
fession, there seems a peculiar fitness
that he should lay aside the judicial
robe aud step at once into the reward
Of faithful living as q man, as citl-
zen, and as a Christian.
To Judge Sullivan, indianapolis i
indebted for its name. The Legisla.
ture Of the State, in 1896, had appointed
commission 70 locate the capita
under the act of Congress of April 19
1916, and on the 7th of June, 1920
they reported the selection of the lane
upon which indianapolis now stands
, On the 9Th Of January, 1921, the
Legislature confirmed the choice Of
the Commissioners, and called the
new born city Indianapolis. In let
ter to Governor Baker, recently writ
ten, Judge Sullivan gave this inter
esting account Of the christening O.
the capital.
II have a very distinct recollection
of the great diversity of opinion tina
prevailed as to the name by which
the Lew town should receive Legisla
tive baptisms The bill i'll remem-
Der Alright was reported BY Judg'
: Polk, and was in tho main, very &C.
eeptable. A blank, Of course, wal
left for the name of the town that was
TO become the seat of government, an(
; during the two or three days We spen
in endeavoring to Gil the blank theT,
? was in the debate some sharpness an
r much amusement.
General Marston G.. CLARK, 0
Washington County. proposed. Tie
: | eumseh' IS the name, and very earn
: nestly insisted upon its adoption
; / When it failed, he suggested othe
, / Indian names, which i have forgot
ten. They y ere all rejected. A mem
z Ter proposed 'SuwarToW, which me
I with no favor. Other naues Wer
B proposed. discussed, laughed at, ami
! voted down, and the House Withou
coming to any agreement, adjourned
! until next day. There were man,
] amusing things said, but my remem
brance of them Is not sufficiently dis
, tinctto state them with accuracy.
had gone to CorydOn with the
intention of proposing IndianapOli
: as the name Of the town, and on tn
evening of the adjournment above
mentioned, or the next morning,
suggested TO Mr.. Samuel Merrill, thu
! Representative from Switzerland
County, the name L proposed. He a
once adopted it. and said he would
support it. We, together, called OF
Gov. Jennings, who had been . wit
ness Of the amusing proceedings oil
the day previous, and told him what
: conclusion We had come to. and asked
r him what he thought of the name
He gave us to understand that ht
favored it, and that he would not hes
itate to 50 express himself. WheI
tho House met and went int
: Convention on the bill, / moved
TO fill the blank with indianapolis
!, The name created quite laugh. Mr.
Merrill. however. seconded the mo
Q ton. We discussed the matter fully
J, gave our reasons in support Of thu
a proposition; the members converset
!, with each other informally in regarC
to it, and the name gradually com
mended itself to the committee, ant
{ was accepted. The principal reason
I given in favor Of adopting the mans
proposed, to wit: that the Greek ter
mination would indicate 10 all thu
world the locality of the town. was.
:. am sure, the reason that Overcame tn,
0 opposition TO the name. The town wa
finally named Indianapolis, with bu
little, Il any, opposition.
So far as We know no one of those
early eotemporaneous with Judge Sui
, Ivan il the law survive. Among hii
associates we recall the names o
Amos Lane, John Test, William
Carpenter, William Hendricks, EljiaI
? HoWk and Henry b. Thornton
, galaxy of names of q past generation
, whose circle is now completed by thu
y n a n n n