Patrick O'Sullivan (1818-1904)

Patrick O'Sullivan was born 14th March 1818 at Castlemaine, Ireland.  The son of William O'Sullivan and Ellen (nee Moriarty), like his father, Patrick joined the army.  He was serving in London when Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837.

On the 2nd January 1838, Patrick was accused of assault with a bayonet at Canterbury.  Sentenced to fifteen years transportation, he arrived in Sydney on 21st July, on the Bengal Merchant.

Patrick was granted his ticket-of-leave on 20th February 1845, after working in the Illawarra district.  By the end of 1845, he had moved to Bathurst, working as a hawker, before finally making his way to Ipswich by May 1847.  He received a conditional pardon on 20th October 1849 and married Mary Real on the 7th May 1851.

O'Sullivan established himself as a successful businessman and landowner in Ipswich, investing in over 60 builidings in the city, including the Ulster Hotel and O'Sullivan Buildings in Brisbane Street.

He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, representing several seats:

• Ipswich, 10th May 1860 to 30th May 1863
• West Moreton,  2nd July 1867 to 28th September 1868
• Burke, 22nd August 1876 to 9th December 1878
• Stanley, 10th December 1878 to 23rd August 1883
• Stanley, 23rd May 1888 to 29th April 1893

Patrick died at Ipswich on the 29th February 1904, survived by eight of his thirteen children.

Three of his sons became lawyers, the eldest, Thomas O'Sullivan (1856-1953), serving in the Legislative Council before becoming Queensland's attorney-general and a Supreme Court judge.

His grandson, Sir Michael Neil O'Sullivan (1900-1968) was a Commonwealth minister.