A handsome copy of this scarce three-quarter length portrait. John Sullivan (1741-1795) is in full military dress, holding a staff in his right hand, with a his sword hostered on the left.
Born in Maine, Sullivan studied law under Samuel Livermore and attended the First Continental Congress in December 1774. The following year he was one of “eight brigadier generals appointed to the Continental army in June 1775 and served through the siege of Boston” (ANB). He had a difficult, poor war. He led the abortive assault toward Bunker Hill on 29 December, 1775 and his troops invading Canada were decimated at Trois Rives. After which, he lost his command to Horatio Gates. He later was responsible for the failure of US troops at Battle of Long Island and was captured in the aftermath. And when his troops participated in victorious battles, such as Princeton and Trenton, they were never at the centre of the action.
For all this - observe the carefree demeanour of this portrait - he had an ally in George Washington, who “noted Sullivan’s vanity, lack of experience deploying large units, and ignorance of military manuals, yet through many future crises the commander in chief never lost confidence in him” (ibid).
Perhaps it was for the best that he retired during the war. This left him to pursue a political career. He represented New Hampshire in Congress, 1780-81, served as governor of New Hampshire in 1786, 1787 and 1789. At the end of his final term, Washington appointed him to the newly established Federal Distric Court.
*BM Satires, 5337.
