William F. Sullivan

October 8, 1913-April 12, 1979

William Francis Sullivan had been President of the Northern Textile Association since 1953. He had assumed responsibility for the National Association of Cotton Manufacturers, which was the predecessor for Northern Textile Association in 1950. He was well known for his expertise in labor relations and international trade.

Mr. Sullivan practiced labor law with the firm of Ropes & Gray in Bosotn before coming to the Association. Much of this practice involved contract negotiations for New England's textile mills.

Beginning in the 1950s when the textile industry was threatened by an overwhelming flood of foreign imports, Mr. Sullivan, as an industry advisor to the U.S. Governmnent, was instrumental in the development of international agreements governing trade and textiles. He helped formulate President John F. Kennedy's 1961 program of assistance to the U.S. textile industry which culminated in a five-year Long Term Arrangement (LTA) for cotton textile trade, subsequently renewed by the Johnson and Nixon Administrations. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the GATT Multifiber Arrangement (MFA) in 1974 which succeeded the LTA and extended coverage beyond cotton to textile products of man-made fiber, wool and various blends.

In his last days Mr. Sullivan had effectively and successfully represented Northern Textile Association members' interest during consideration of the tariff portion of the Multilateral Trade Negotiations. He had also lent his counsel to the formulation of non-tariff and procedural aspects fo the MTN instrument.

William F. Sullivan was born in Nashua, N.H. and educated at Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He was awarded the Silver Medal of the Association in 1955 and the Gold Medal posthumously in 1979.

A resident of Belmont, Massachusetts, at his death he was survivev by his wife, the former Helen Barr Dolan, three children, Christine Sullivan Neely of Salem, Mass., Mary Sullivan of Boston, Mass., and William F. Sullivan III of St. Andrews, Scotland, and one grandchild.