Dan Sullivan
U.S. Senator from Alaska
Daniel Scott Sullivan was born in November 1964 in Fairview Park, Ohio. He earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Harvard University and later earned joint Juris Doctor and Master of Foreign Services degrees from Georgetown University. He interned at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
He has served in the United States Marine Corps both on active duty and in the reserves, including a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He holds the rank of Colonel.
He served as a law clerk at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the Fairbanks, Alaska office, and later clerked for the Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. He joined the Anchorage office of a private law firm focusing on commercial and corporate law.
He spent two years in President George W. Bush’s Administration heading the International Economics Directorate of the National Economic Council and National Security Council. President Bush appointed Sullivan as Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs. He was confirmed unanimously by the Senate, assuming office in May 2006 and serving until January 2009. He retained a residence in Alaska.
Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska nominated Sullivan as Alaska’s attorney general and he was unanimously confirmed by the Alaska legislature. Shortly thereafter, he stepped down from that post and was appointed by a new Alaska Governor to be Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, serving four years.
He was elected to the United States Senate and assumed office in January 2015.
Sullivan is married to Julie Fate and they have three daughters. He is a Catholic.
In the News…
Earlier this month, eleven Chinese and Russian naval vessels, in a cooperative display of force, sailed near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Although they did not enter American territorial waters, the Navy shadowed the group with four destroyers and a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
That joint military drill has prompted calls for a permanent U.S. naval base to be established in Alaska.
Alaska Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski were able to confirm the exercise in classified briefings. Alaska, and its proximity to both China and Russia, has an essential role in national defense and territorial sovereignty, and they are urging the Pentagon to establish a permanent naval base in Alaska. Although the Air Force has multiple bases in Alaska, there is no permanent base from which to dispatch naval vessels.
“The incursion by 11 Chinese and Russian warships operating together—off the coast of Alaska—is yet another reminder that we have entered a new era of authoritarian aggression by the dictators in Beijing and Moscow,” Senator Sullivan said.
He added, “In recognition of this reality and our state’s unrivaled strategic location, for years, I’ve been pressing the Navy and each successive administration to commit to a greater Naval, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps presence in Alaska, more Arctic-capable vessels, and more infrastructure to host these assets, like the deep-water port of Nome.”
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Senator Sullivan today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Dan Sullivan
Senator from Alaska
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
