John Sullivan (British governor)
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John Sullivan was the Collector of Coimbatore between 1815 and 1830, who is best known as the founder of the city of Ooty. He joined the British East India Company as a writer at the age of 15. . 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 January 2, 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.[1].
In 1822, he began construction of his residence, called the Stonehouse, on property he had purchased from the Todas. His wife, who had the distinction of being the first European woman in the Nilgiris, moved into the house in 1823 along with his infant son.
Sullivan was driven by a spirit of innovation and enterprise. He was the first to introduce horticulture in the Nilgiris. Potato, barley and other "English" agricultural products are some of the crops he introduced.
The Ooty Lake was created between 1823 and 1825 by Sullivan as a source of irrigation.
Considering the age in which he lived, his attitudes towards the local population were remarkably progressive, arguing that the native people should be allowed to govern their own affairs. He also held that the Todas had total proprietary rights over the Nilgiris, which set him at odds with the East India Company officials.
His final years were marked by tragedy. In 1841, his wife and daughter died with weeks of each other. A grieving Sullivan returned to England where he died in 1855 at the age of 66.
