Charles L. Sullivan (August 20, 1924 – April 18, 1979) was an American politician, attorney and military pilot. He served the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from 1968 to 1972 under Governor John Bell Williams. He was also a general in the United States Air National Guard.
Early life and education
Charles L. Sullivan was born on August 20, 1924, in New Orleans and was raised in Greene and Perry counties of Mississippi. His father was a school superintendent. He attended Hintonville High School, Knox College, and Tulane University and before earning a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1950. He married Mary Lester Rayner and had four children with her. He and his running mate, Merritt Curtis, received 18,162 votes in Texas, the only state where he was on the ballot, or 0.79% of the popular vote. In 1963, Sullivan ran for Governor of Mississippi and lost to eventual winner, Lieutenant Governor Paul B. Johnson Jr. After losing the Democratic gubernatorial primary to Bill Waller, he left office on January 17, 1972.
Sullivan unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1978 in a race ultimately won by Republican Thad Cochran.
Death
Traveling home from Oxford, Mississippi, Sullivan was killed when his plane crashed in a remote area near Clarksdale, Mississippi. He was 54.