Mike Sullivan (governor)
Michael John Sullivan (born September 22, 1939) is an American lawyer and former politician who was the 29th Governor of Wyoming, serving from 1987 to 1995, and United States Ambassador to Ireland, serving from 1998 to 2001. Biography. Sullivan was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, J. B. Sullivan, moved the family to Douglas, Wyoming, to open a law practice. Mike Sullivan graduated from Douglas High School as the class salutatorian. He continued his education at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, where he earned a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering and then a J.D. degree . On September 2, 1961, Sullivan married Jane Metzler of Riverton in ceremonies in Powell. They made their home in Casper. Sullivan practiced law with the firm of Brown, Drew, Apostolos, Massey, and Sullivan for twenty years. Sullivan had never sought elective office when, in 1986, he ran for and won the Democratic nomination for governor. Many observers believed that, following three terms with a Democratic governor (Ed Herschler) the chances for another Democrat to gain that post would be remote. Nonetheless, after a hard-fought campaign, Sullivan defeated Republican nominee Peter K. Simpson. In his 1990 reelection, Sullivan defeated the  rancher and businesswoman Mary Mead of Jackson, daughter of Republican former Governor and U.S. Senator Clifford P. Hansen. Sullivan received 104,638 votes (65.4 percent) to her 55,471 ballots (34.6 percent). Sullivan tapped journalist Dennis E. Curran, a native of Wisconsin, to serve as his press secretary from 1987 to 1994, after which time Curran launched the "Wyoming Business Report." He named a Republican, Joseph B. Meyer, as attorney general. Sullivan ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994, but lost 59–39 percent to Representative Craig L. Thomas during the national Republican wave of 1994. Four years after his governorship ended, Sullivan  was appointed as United States Ambassador to Ireland by President Bill Clinton, a post he held from 1999 to 2001. His official gubernatorial portrait was painted by artist Michele Rushworth and unveiled in the state capitol by Governor Dave Freudenthal in 2008. The portrait shows Sullivan holding his signature grey cowboy hat. In 2012, Sullivan was honored at the University of Wyoming with the dedication of a landscaped plaza bordering the university's Prexy's Pasture. Sullivan retired as a partner at the Casper office of the law firm of Lewis, Roca, Rothgerber, & Christie in 2015. Mike Sullivan (governor) Michael