John Sullivan ’77, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State

That’s what Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, tweeted about Xaverian’s own John J. Sullivan ’77, who was confirmed by the Senate as Deputy Secretary of State on May 24, 2017, following a 94-6 vote. John had been selected by Rex Tillerson, the former Secretary of State, and nominated by the President. When Tillerson was ousted in early March, John stepped in as Acting Secretary and quietly took the reins of the State Department until Mike Pompeo was appointed on April 26. John has stayed above the political fray, dutifully serving the people of the United States of America. Many Americans may not even know his name, despite the eminent position he holds in government. Perhaps it’s because, for John, his service has never been for personal or professional gain. “I’ve always tried to serve without partisan blinders on, doing what’s right for the United States and the U.S. Government, and implementing the President’s program.”

But let’s go back to the beginning and see how a Xaverian grad ended up in one of the most senior positions in government service. As John tells it, it had a lot to do with Xaverian. “Xaverian prepared me for college, for law school, and for service in government,” John said. “My classmates and the faculty here were, I think it’s fair to say, the biggest influences on my career over the last 40 years.”

That’s high praise, especially considering that John went from Xaverian to Brown University, and then onto Columbia Law School. Inspired by his uncle, William H. Sullivan, John knew early on that he wanted a career in government service. Bill Sullivan served as Ambassador to Laos (1964–1969), the Philippines (1973–1977), and Iran (1977–1979). “He (Bill) had been recalled from Iran by President Carter in the summer of ’79,” remembers John, who was at Brown at the time. “It was his staff that was taken hostage on November 4, 1979. That became the famous hostage crisis lasting into January of ’81...444 days that Americans were held hostage by the regime in Tehran.”

It was about that time, during John’s sophomore year at Brown, that he decided he was going to enlist in the Marines and defer his degree. His father intervened. “He told me ‘no’,” John said, “‘You are going to finish your degree and if you want to join the Marine Corps you will do so as a commissioned officer, not as a boot at Parris Island.’” His father passed away soon after, and John credits him with paving his path toward law school and ultimately service in government.

At Columbia, John made the Columbia Law Review and went on to clerk for Supreme Court Justice David Souter. From there he went into the George H.W. Bush administration, working in the Department of Justice for Attorney General William P. Barr. Over the last three decades, John has served as Deputy General Counsel in the Department of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Commerce (during George W. Bush’s presidency), as the chair of an advisory committee on U.S. relations with Iraq (during Barack Obama’s presidency), and now as Deputy Secretary of State with, as mentioned before, a brief time as Acting Secretary of State. These years of service were punctuated by long stretches at Mayer Brown, a D.C. law firm. “I have bounced back and forth from the public sector to the private sector,” said John. “I went from private practice into government, different government jobs in different cabinet departments, back to private practice, but ultimately always heading back into government service.”

 

For John, government service is about working as part of a team and putting the people of the United States above his own personal interests and accolades. “It’s not about individual accomplishment or achieving office,” he said. “It’s about putting the people of the United States first, to borrow President Trump’s policy mantra. I mean that in the sense of doing right by the American people...it’s about standing up for them and never forgetting that you’re working for the people and not for your own career aggrandizement…It’s about staying humble and true to core Xaverian values.”

It’s those Xaverian values that keep John coming back and giving back to his alma mater. Though the truth is, he says, “I get more out of coming back than I give. Coming back and seeing how things are going at 800 Clapboardtree Street and seeing former teachers, it recharges me to go back to Washington, back to my job and my family.”

Keeping it all in perspective is important to John. “Humility is an indispensable virtue,” he said. “Some of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen people make, whether that’s the President of the United States or just someone in their personal lives, including my own, come from a lack of humility. Humility was the thing that most influenced me in my preparation for being Deputy Secretary of State, being humble enough to admit what I don’t know and to ask questions, without presuming to know the answers, and to ask for help. I think it provides a good grounding for whatever one chooses to do in life.” And “grounded” is a good way to describe John.

He doesn’t see himself in a position of power only a few steps away from the President, the leader of the free world. He views himself as a man who fills a position in government, a government that is one small aspect of what makes America what it is. “The United States is so much bigger than the federal government or the current administration. It’s our cultural influence around the world. It’s what we’ve done as a people. It’s our example as a country that has constantly sought to improve itself. I am thrilled to have a position where I can, in some small way, participate in decisions that may have an effect on our country and our status in the world. But I’m under no illusions about the significance of what I do. I occupy an office and work for a cabinet secretary, trying to help him implement his and the President’s vision for U.S. foreign policy. Being witness to that and doing what little I can to support the implementation of our foreign policy and defend our values is a source of great satisfaction for me.”

 

“It’s easy to understand why Pompeo called John, ‘a true patriot, leader, and public servant,’’’ said Brother Daniel Skala, C.F.X., Headmaster. “He is a wonderful example of what it means to be a strong Xaverian man and we are proud to count him as an alumnus and a member of our vibrant community.”