Timothy Sullivan
Timothy Daniel Sullivan (July 23, 1862 – August 31, 1913) was a New York politician who controlled Manhattan's Bowery and Lower East Side districts as a prominent leader within Tammany Hall. He was known euphemistically as "Dry Dollar", as the "Big Feller", and later as "Big Tim" because of his physical stature. He amassed a large fortune as a businessman running vaudeville and legitimate theaters, as well as nickelodeons, race tracks, and athletic clubs.
Timothy D. Sullivan | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York | |
| In office March 4, 1903 – July 27, 1906 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas J. Creamer |
| Succeeded by | Daniel J. Riordan |
| Constituency | 8th district |
| In office March 4, 1913 – August 31, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | Jefferson M. Levy |
| Succeeded by | George W. Loft |
| Constituency | 13th district |
| Member of the New York Senate | |
| In office January 1, 1894 – December 31, 1902 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas F. Cunningham |
| Succeeded by | John C. Fitzgerald |
| Constituency | 9th district (1894–95) 11th district (1896–1902) |
| In office January 1, 1909 – December 31, 1912 | |
| Preceded by | William Sohmer |
| Succeeded by | John C. Fitzgerald |
| Constituency | 12th district |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 2nd New York County district | |
| In office January 1, 1887 – December 31, 1893 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Maher |
| Succeeded by | Michael J. Callahan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 23, 1862 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 31, 1913 (aged 51) Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
Sullivan in 1911 pushed through the legislature the Sullivan Act, an early gun control measure. He was a strong supporter of organized labor and women's suffrage. The newspapers depicted Big Tim as the spider in the center of the web, mentioning his criminal activities and his control over gambling in the city. Welch says that "assigning the role of vice lord to Sullivan gave Tammany's enemies a weapon to be wielded in every municipal election between 1886 and 1912".