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William Wilfred Sullivan




A staunch Catholic , Sullivan became Leader Of The Opposition in 1877 to the Protestant Coalition Government of Louis Henry Davies which had been formed to implement a public, secular school system that denied funding to Roman Catholic Separate School s. Sullivan reorganised the Conservative Party and was asked by the Lieutenant-governor to become Premier once Davies' coaltion broke up and became unable to command a Majority in the assembly.

Sullivan served as premier for ten years and fought for PEI's rights in the Dominion of Canada. He protested the federal government's failure to fulfill the terms of Confederation on which the island had joined the dominion in 1873. In 1886, he petitioned the Imperial Government in London protesting Canada's delinquency in respect to promises to ensure communication lines between the island and the rest of the country but the problem remained unresolved until the 1900s.

In 1889, Sullivan was appointed Chief Justice of PEI and served in that position until his retirement in 1917. In 1914 he was Knight ed by King George V .


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Preceded by:
Louis Henry Davies
1876-1879
Premier Of Prince Edward Island
1879-1889

Succeeded by:
Neil McLeod
1889-1891