BEP Directors

Thomas Sullivan was born in Washington, DC, and lived there all his life.  After attending public and private secondary schools, Sullivan received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from Georgetown University.  He worked as a bookkeeper for a private banking firm and as a clerk in the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands.  Sullivan entered the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1869 as an accountant, becoming principal accountant in 1872.  He became Assistant Chief in 1882 and served in that capacity for almost 25 years before appointment as Director of the BEP in 1906.  Less than two years later, while still serving as Director, Sullivan died of pneumonia at the age of 62.