Dan Sullivan Bio
Daniel Scott Sullivan (born November 13, 1964) is an American politician, attorney, and Marine Corps officer serving as the junior United States senator from Alaska. A Republican, he has held the seat since 2015 and was reelected in 2020. Before entering the Senate, Sullivan served as Alaska’s attorney general, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs under President George W. Bush.
A Harvard graduate and Georgetown-trained lawyer, Sullivan also built a parallel career in the United States Marine Corps, including a 2013 deployment to Afghanistan. He continues to represent Alaska in the upper chamber of the United States Congress, focusing on national security, military affairs, and resource development.
Dan Sullivan Early Life and Background
Early Life and Background
Daniel Scott Sullivan was born on November 13, 1964, in Fairview Park, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. He is the son of Sandra (née Simmons) and Thomas C. Sullivan. His father served as president and chief executive officer of RPM International, a publicly traded multinational company with more than 15,000 employees that was founded by Sullivan’s grandfather, Frank C. Sullivan. Sullivan’s brother, Frank C. Sullivan, later took over as president and chief executive officer of RPM in 2002.
Growing up in a family with deep ties to American business, Sullivan attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana, graduating in 1983. The boarding school experience introduced him to military discipline and leadership at a young age, shaping the path that would later take him into both public service and the United States Marine Corps.
Path to US Politics
Sullivan studied economics at Harvard University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude in 1987. He then attended Georgetown University, where he completed joint degree programs at the Walsh School of Foreign Service and the Georgetown University Law Center. In 1993, he received both a Juris Doctor degree, earned with cum laude honors while a member of the Georgetown Law Journal, and a Master of Science in Foreign Service.
While at Georgetown, he met fellow law student Julie Fate, a staffer for United States Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. Their connection to the state set the stage for Sullivan’s eventual move north. He commissioned into the United States Marine Corps as an infantry officer in 1993 after finishing graduate school, beginning a military career that would run alongside his legal and political work for the next three decades.
Dan Sullivan Career
Early Legal and Military Career (1993-2009)
After leaving active Marine Corps duty in 1997, Sullivan clerked for Judge Andrew Kleinfeld on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1997 to 1998. He then clerked for Chief Justice Warren Matthews of the Alaska Supreme Court from 1998 to 1999. In 2000, he joined the Anchorage office of the law firm Perkins Coie, working in commercial and corporate law, and was admitted to the Alaska bar that same year.
In 2002, Sullivan was selected as a White House Fellow and served at the National Security Council. He went on to head the International Economics Directorate of the National Economic Council and the National Security Council, advising President George W. Bush. In 2006, Bush appointed him as Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs, a position unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. He held that role until January 2009, even as he was recalled to active Marine Corps duty twice during the same period.
Alaska Attorney General and Commissioner (2009-2013)
When Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg resigned in February 2009, Governor Sarah Palin nominated Wayne Anthony Ross, but the Alaska Legislature rejected the choice. Governor Sean Parnell then nominated Sullivan, who was sworn into office in June 2009. The legislature unanimously confirmed his appointment on April 9, 2010. Sullivan stepped down as attorney general on December 5, 2010.
On November 18, 2010, shortly after his confirmation, Governor Parnell appointed Sullivan as Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. He led the department through 2013, balancing those duties with continued Marine Corps Reserve obligations, including a 2013 six-week deployment to Afghanistan as executive officer of the 4th Marine Division’s Anti-Terrorism Battalion.
U.S. Senate Era (2015-Present)
Sullivan announced his candidacy for the United States Senate on October 15, 2013, challenging Democratic incumbent Mark Begich. He won the Republican primary on August 19, 2014, with 40 percent of the vote, defeating Joe Miller and Mead Treadwell. In the general election, the Associated Press and CNN declared him the winner over Begich on November 12, 2014. Begich conceded on November 17, and final results showed Sullivan winning by 6,014 votes out of 282,400 cast, 47.96 percent to 45.83 percent. He was sworn in on January 6, 2015, by Vice President Joe Biden.
Running unopposed in the 2020 Republican primary, Sullivan faced independent candidate Al Gross, an orthopedic surgeon backed by the Alaska Democratic Party. Although the race was initially considered unexpectedly close, Gross conceded on November 13, and Sullivan won 54 percent to 41 percent. He is currently running for reelection in 2026.
Notable Events and Milestones
Sullivan’s Senate career has been marked by a focus on military and national security issues, shaped by his own deployments and Marine Corps service. He drew national attention in 2020 by voting to confirm Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court during the final weeks before the presidential election. In 2021, he was part of a bipartisan Senate delegation that traveled to Taipei aboard a United States Air Force C-17 to announce President Joe Biden’s donation of 750,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan.
Dan Sullivan Career Wins
Electoral Highlights
Daniel Scott Sullivan has won two United States Senate elections in Alaska. His first victory came in 2014, when he defeated Democratic incumbent Mark Begich by roughly two percentage points after a competitive Republican primary. He followed that win with a more comfortable 2020 reelection, defeating independent candidate Al Gross by 13 percentage points while running unopposed in his primary.
Other Achievements
Beyond electoral success, Sullivan has earned recognition for his military service, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserve in 2024 as a colonel. He has also played a role in major legislative efforts, including co-introducing the bipartisan FIRST STEP Act on criminal justice reform, which was signed into law in 2018.
Dan Sullivan Family
Family Background
Daniel Scott Sullivan was raised in Fairview Park, Ohio, by his parents Sandra (née Simmons) and Thomas C. Sullivan. His father led RPM International, a multinational corporation founded by Sullivan’s grandfather, Frank C. Sullivan. His brother, Frank C. Sullivan, succeeded their father as president and chief executive officer of the company in 2002.
Personal Life
Daniel Scott Sullivan married Julie Fate, whom he met while both were students at Georgetown University. Fate is the daughter of retired dentist and former Alaska State Representative Hugh “Bud” Fate and Mary Jane Fate, a former co-chair of the Alaska Federation of Natives. The couple has three daughters. Sullivan is a Roman Catholic.