Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-12
From Sheep Range to Senate

namited. presumably by cattlemen. The
dam had been constructed by sheepmen
| to make a reservoir where they could
water their fiocks.
One day the boss came back from a
| trip to Casper and said to Pat:
"I've bought few sheep for you.
They can be run with mine, and you
pay me as you can"
How much are they going to cost
me?" asked Pat.
About $4,000" said the boss.
| Whereupon the sheep herder nearly
tainted, and began to explain that he
never could hope to pay such sum.
1.-THE boss Just laughed at me-" says
Sullivan. Then he convinced me that
II attended to business / could make
the venture pay He was right. 1t did
pay. And what he did for me taught
me a lesson that / never forgot. When
I began to hire herders I made 1t a
practice to give them start If they
wanted to get in the business for them
selves. In fact, I won't have man
around me who hasn't ambition and
who doesn't want to strike out for HIM
self"
A few years ago Pat Sullivan Vas
sitting in Washington hotel. People
were coming and going put apparently
there wasn't soul to whom he could
talk. Finally he singled out rather
important looking individual and
opened a conversation. Pat asked him
what line of business he followed and
received a brief answer. Then, merely
as matter of form, the stranger asked
Pat what line of business he was in.
IT run few Sheep" was the answer.
"Ah, sheep-how interesting said
the stranger, politely hiding a yawn.
And how many sheep have you?"
We'll. I don't just know" said Sui
| Ivan meditatively, but I think it's
somewhere around 10000"
The stranger gave one look at Pat, as
much as to say, Just another one of
those Western romancers," and walked
away.
Faith in Wyoming.
| Pat Sullivan's enthusiasm for his
job, which kept him sticking with the
sheep during the billiards. and hot
winds that mark the seasonal changes
on the Rocky Mountain plateau, was
equaled only by his faith in wyoming
possibilities.
Some 20 years ago or more I rode
across the Northern Wyoming plains
with cattle rancher who was taking
Uncle Billy" famous roundup cook,
to provide meals for the men who were
sinking the first oil we'll in the Salt
Creek region. Most people thought the
oil venture was chimerical, and said
so in less complicated language. Oil
derricks simply didn't belong in a
natural grazing country. Uncle Billy
himself couldn't quite see why he was
being dragged off to cook for a lot of
mechanics when there were still plenty
of cowboys who regarded him as the
prince of grub wranglers.
! Pat Sullivan was not among those
peSSimistS. Some of the derricks went
up and the wells went down on the
| barren acres which he had been &C.
| quiring for his growing hocks. AS a
result Pat Sullivan today has large
! royalty oil interests and is director of
the Western Exploration Co. He is
chief stockholder and chairman of the
board of directors of the First National
Bank Of Casper and is partner in sew
eral large sheep enterprises. His home
city. His outside investments are con-
siderable, and, altogether, Wyoming's
new Senator is looked upon as one of
the wealthiest men in the State.
Politically, Sullivan has always been
Republican. He has been Republican
national committeeman in Wyoming for
years. Some idea of his independence
of thought can be secured from an Incl
dent which occurred when former
President Coolidge was in the Black
Hills and Yellowstone National Park
and was waited upon by wyoming
committee, one of whose members was
Pat Sullivan. A Wyoming stock raiser
approached Pat and suggested that he
use his influence with the President in
favor of q bureau to look after the in
terests of sheep and cattle men.
Good Lord! we've got too many
bureaus now" was Pats only rejoinder