Nilgiri founder Sullivan's direct descendant dies in London

UDHAGAMANDALAM: David Sullivan, a direct descendant of John Sullivan, the founder of modern Nilgiris, died in London on Saturday. The news was conveyed to Nilgiri Documentation Centre (NDC) by Dr Oriel David Sullivan's daughter and professor of sociology in Oxford University. David Sullivan who died at the age of 87, was the direct great, great grandson of John Sullivan.
David Sullivan is the great-grandson of Henry Edward Sullivan, the second son of John Sullivan. Henry Sullivan had also served in the Madras civil service and was the collector of Coimbatore in 1870.
"David Sullivan, a Queen's counsel, had retired from legal practice and was a historian and a writer. Apart from law books, he has also written historical plays. He was working on a stage play about Warren Hastings, the first Governor General of India," said Dharmalingam Venugopal, director, NDC.
David was researching John Sullivan's father Rt Honorable John Sullivan's life, was also a civil servant of the East India Company and in 1781 was a resident at the court of Tanjore with responsibility for all the southern provinces of Madras Presidency.
David Sullivan donated to the NDC the original of Sullivan's pencil sketch made in 1805 when he left for London to join the Madras Civil Service. It was David Sullivan who discovered the link between John Sullivan's last house in Ooty, Richings Lodge, and his house of birth, Richings Park, in London, according to Venugopal.
"I was looking forward to my next meeting with him to discuss a whole lot of material I had collected since my last meeting with him", said Venugopal.