John Sullivan & New Hampshire Statehood – Masonic First Day Cover – #2344 Edsel Cachet
|January 29, 2013||Posted by Lars under 1980s, Masonic, Military, U.S. History, U.S. States|
John Sullivan served in a number of prominent roles in early American history:
- Major General in the American Revolutionary War
- Governor of New Hampshire 1786-90
- First Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire 1789-90
John Sullivan, born on February 17, 1740, at Somersworth, New Hampshire, was a successful lawyer. He was later commissioned as major of the militia in 1772 and a year later attained the rank of colonel in 1773. The next year he attended the first Continental Congress as a delegate from New Hampshire. In June 1775 Congress named him as one of the eight original Continental brigadier generals and served throughout the siege of Boston. He was sent along with General Thomas in 1776 to relieve the American forces in Canada. Sullivan was promoted to to Major General in August of that year, but shortly afterwards he was taken as a prisoner of war during the battle of Long Island. Paroled and and exchanged, he went on to serve at Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown, and wintered at Valley Forge.
Sullivan led punitive expeditions against the Six Nations of Indians, which are known as Sullivan’s Expedition. They burned the villages and routed the Indians and and British soldiers in the Finger Lakes region of upper New York state.
Post-Revolutionary War Service
Following the war, Sullivan served in Congress in 1780-81. He then went on to serve as attorney general of New Hampshire in 1782.
Sullivan received his Masonic degrees in St. John’s Lodge No. 1 in Portsmouth, NH, on March 19, 1767 and on December 28, 1768. Although he was chosen as Grand Master of New Hampshire on July 8, 1789, he had never served as master of a lodge up until that time. Sullivan was elected Master of St. John’s Lodge later that year on December 3, and was installed three weeks later. He was finally seated in the grand East on April 8, 1790, although his failing health prevented him from finishing the year as Grand Master. He resigned on September 5 and died on January 23, 1795.
The 25 cent New Hampshire Bicentennial Statehood Stamp #2344
The featured 25-cent stamp (Scott 2344) was designed by Thomas Szumoski and was issued on June 21, 1988 in honor of the bicentenary of New Hampshire statehood. The image is that of the Old Man of the Mountain.