John Sullivan (British governor)

John Sullivan (15 June 1788 – 16 January 1855) was the Collector of Coimbatore, India, who is best known as the founder of the city of Ooty.

Born in London, he joined the British East India Company as a writer at the age of 15.

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Between 1815-1816 John Sullivan was Major General and fought the Anglo Nepal War.This is were he established rapport with Colonel David Oucheterlony and his daughter Henrietta Cecilia .Henrietta was of an Asian descent born through Oucheterlony's Begum who was the descendant of a Jewish Prophet.In 1819, he set out to explore the Nilgiris after obtaining an order from the British East India Company charging him with investigating the "origin of the fabulous tales that are circulated concerning the Blue Mountains to verify their authenticity and to send a report to the authorities".

With a detachment of Europeans and Indian sepoys, he set out on his mission on 2 January 1819. The journey involved crossing rough and harsh terrain, steep precipices and facing danger from wild animals. After an expedition that lasted for six days and the loss of the lives of many of the expedition members, Sullivan finally reached a plateau from where he proudly hoisted the British flag.After touring the area in 1819, John Sullivan, collector for Coimbatore district, began a personal campaign to persuade the government of Madras that the location's "unusually temperate and healthy" climate made it ideal as a...
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