John J. Sullivan (American lawyer)

John J. Sullivan

John Joseph Sullivan (born November 20, 1959) is an American lawyer. He served as Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce from 2008 to 2009 in the George W. Bush administration.

Sullivan, born^[1] and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, received his A.B. in History and Political Science from Brown University in 1981 and his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law in 1985. At Columbia, he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and Book Reviews Editor of the Columbia Law Review. He was a law clerk for Judge John Minor Wisdom of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and for United States Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter.^[2]

In 1991, Sullivan served as Counselor to Assistant Attorney General J. Michael Luttig in the Office of Legal Counsel of the United States Department of Justice. The next year, he served as Deputy General Counsel of President George H. W. Bush's 1992 re-election campaign. In 1993, Sullivan joined the Washington, D.C. law firm of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, where he practiced Supreme Court law.^[2]

In February 2004, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld appointed Sullivan as Deputy General Counsel of the United States Department of Defense. In this capacity, he was responsible for all litigation involving the Department and for counsel on major criminal and congressional investigations. During his tenure, he was awarded the Secretary of Defense’s Medal for Exceptional Public Service.^[2]

Sullivan then moved to the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he served as General Counsel. As the Department’s chief legal officer and Designated Agency Ethics Official, Mr. Sullivan managed the work of over 400 lawyers in the 14 legal offices providing legal advice to all components of the Department.^[2]

Upon the resignation of Deputy Secretary David Sampson, Sullivan was assigned as Acting Deputy Secretary beginning on September 1, 2007. He was soon thereafter nominated by George W. Bush to serve in a permanent capacity, and was sworn in on March 14, 2008 after confirmation by the United States Senate. As the Department’s chief operating officer, he managed a $6.8 billion budget and 38,000 employees in 13 operating units. He was also a member of President Bush's Management Council and a member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.^[2]

He and his wife, Grace Rodriguez, have three children and live in Maryland.^[2]

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