|
Former Butte Mayor Tim Sullivan dies
Former Butte mayor and aggressive
plumbing and heating innovator Timothy Sullivan, 95, died in a
Spokane, Wash. hospital Saturday afternoon, just two days after his
last visit to the Mining city.
He had returned Thursday to Spokane, where he had been living with
his son for about a year.
Services are pending at Duggan Dolan
Mortuary here.
Mr. Sullivan was born April 1, 1888, in Scranton, Pa., and came to
Butte as a small child.
Sullivan, who headed at least eight companies and filed many patents
during his career, started work as a “nipper’ or tool distributor
underground in the Butte mines.
In 1921, he founded Sullivan Valve and Engineering Co., an outlet
for his highly successful heating inventions.
Sullivan was elected mayor in April 1953, and served until Feb. 5,
1957, when he became the first mayor in Butte history to resign
while in office.
Years later, Sullivan said he ran for mayor because of complaints he
heard about parking collection, health problems and prostitution.
When he took office, parking meters and fines were taking in $30,000
a year. His first year in office saw collections soar to $120,000.
The city also got a new meat inspection law, sanitary landfill dump,
building and fire codes, and he got an award from the American
Social Hygiene Association for his efforts to curb prostitution.
He backed the unpopular idea of charging city residents for garbage
collection, but that provided about $60,000 a year for a number of
recreation programs—such as playmobiles, a municipal band, organized
sports, playgrounds and a recreation hall in the remodeled City
Hall—and won him a citation from the National Recreation
Association. His plans for a swimming pool next to the Civic Center
never materialized, however.
He was a leader in city-county planning efforts. Sullivan’s frugal
administration paid off $250,000 in bonds and left the city with a
surplus when he resigned.
Sullivan said in 1981 that he decided not to run again because he
wanted to get back to his businesses and because his wife was never
very happy about his involvement with politics.
Two years after leaving office, Sullivan announced the establishment
of the Butte Brass Co.
He later moved his valve and engineering company from 917 Oregon to
the basement of the former Hamill-Murray building, where he had an
apartment upstairs. M&L Supply was another one of his companies.
Sullivan’s stoves, which could be fueled by either coal or wood,
virtually eliminated soot. His “Gold Top” hot water boilers were
35-40 percent more efficient than conventional systems.
Other inventions and innovations for heating system included a
downdraft diffuser and heat-saver for heating system flues and a
silver-soldered waste heat utilizer for furnaces.
Asked once how he got ahead in the world, Sullivan replied, “Did you
ever get hungry?”
Sullivan’s wife, Marguerite, died April l6, 1979. His son survives
at 1809 Pierce, Spokane.
The Montana
Standard
Butte, Montana
April 07, 1979 |
|
Tim J.
Sullivan, 95
Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated Thursday at 10 in St.
Patrick Church for former Butte mayor Tim J. Sullivan, 95, who died
Saturday in Spokane. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery. Parish
vigil will be held Wednesday at 7 in Duggan Dolan Mortuary at 213 N.
Montana.
Survivors include his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Williams
Sullivan of Spokane; five grandchildren; and three
great-grandchildren. His wife, Marguerite, died in 1979 and his
daughter, Catherine Kelly, died in 1956.
A
full obituary for Mr. Sullivan appeared in the Montana Standard
Sunday.
The Montana Standard
Butte, Montana
October 19, 1983 |
