Nato il 9 agosto del 1894 in una fattoria di Christmas Creek, presso il  Beaudesert nel Queensland, Michael Joseph Sullivan ha studiato al St. Joseph College di Nudge. 

 Sposato con Catherine Honora Cahill ha avuto 4 figli a cui dovette badare quando la moglie scomparse dopo soli 11 anni di matrimonio. Dopo gli studi lavorò nella fattoria di famiglia fin quando la stessa non fu venduta e dopo aprì un negozio di articoli sportivi a Southport assieme al fratello che era il Presidente della Camera di Commercio locale.

 L'attività non sopravvisse alla grande crisi del '29 e Michael si trasferì a Brisbane dove fece una serie di lavoretti tanto per sbarcare il lunario e mantenere la numerosa famiglia.  Fu in quel periodo che avvicinò il Bridge che, come spesso accade, lo conquistò senza mezze misure.

 Michael, divenne un forte giocatore che vinse diversi titoli nazionali, fondò il Brisbane Bridge Club e iniziò a scrivere una fortunata serie di articoli.

 Più tardi aprì anche un bar e divenne direttore della Queensland Bridge Association dal 1938 al 1952.

 Per dimostrare la bontà della tecnica dei giocatori australiani che per ragioni geografiche restavano ai margini del Bridge internazionale, nel 1941 varò il primo Simultaneo mondiale che la storia ricordi, curando personalmente le Smazzate da giocarvi.

Nel 1951 partecipò al meeting di Oslo che decise la costituzione della WBF.

Giocò diverse volte nella Nazionale australiana che rappresentò anche alle prime Olimpiadi della storia del Bridge in quel di Torino.

Dal 1961 al 1963 fu coinvolto nella organizzazione dei Campionati Mondiali e curò personalmente assieme a Robert William quella del Par Contest.

Morì il 29 dicembre del 1974 e riposa nel cimitero della cittadina natia.

Joseph Michael Sullivan (1894-1974), bridge player, publicist and administrator, was born on 9 August 1894 at Christmas Creek, near Beaudesert, Queensland, elder son of Irish-born parents Martin Sullivan (d.1904), farmer, and his wife Mary, née Smith. Educated at Christmas Creek State School and St Joseph's College, Nudgee, Brisbane, Mick topped the senior commercial class in 1908 and gained first place in the Queensland shorthand examination. He then worked on the family farm. At St Joseph's Catholic Church, Christmas Creek, on 25 June 1919 he married Catherine Honora Cahill. In 1922 the farm was sold. He opened a furniture and sports store at Southport in partnership with his brother and became president (1924) of the local chamber of commerce. An able administrator, he helped to found the United South Coast Rugby League competition and the district tennis association.

Sullivan's wife died in 1930, leaving him with four children to raise. His business failed during the Depression and he moved to Brisbane. Unable to find permanent employment, he took a string of odd jobs. To sustain his spirit, he began to play auction bridge, and then contract bridge. In 1932 he and W. F. R. Boyce formed the Brisbane Bridge Club. A strong player, Sullivan won many State and national championships, including the Australia and New Zealand Olympiad (1937 and 1939) and—with Harold Hiley—the Australian open pairs championship (1943, 1950 and 1956). His articles in Brisbane and provincial newspapers, and his weekly radio programmer with Boyce in 1941, helped to promote the game at the local level, and to provide him with a small income. He also ran a café in Brisbane for some years.

Tournament director of the Queensland Bridge Association in 1938-52, Sullivan aimed to bring Australia into international competition. Although 'world championships' were occasionally held, participation was confined to a few select countries. Sullivan was convinced that Australian players could compete at international level. His articles in the American Bridge World, the British Bridge Magazine and the European Bridge Review urged the establishment of a genuinely international bridge organization and a genuinely open world championship. To demonstrate the level of skill of Australian players he organized a world par contest in 1951 in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of Australian Federation. Prepared in advance with particular problems to be solved, hands were sent to venues in Australia and overseas to be played simultaneously. The standard of hands came as a revelation to foreign contestants, though typical of those used locally. Australian players won first, second and fourth places.

In 1958 Sullivan represented the Australian Bridge Council at a meeting in Oslo that led to the formation of the World Bridge Federation. Appointed to its inaugural council, he chaired the constitution committee. In 1960 he helped to set up, and played in, the international bridge Olympiad at Turin, Italy. He was involved in planning the W.B.F. par championships in 1961 and 1963, and was joint-formulator (1963) of the rules of par point contract bridge. In July 1974 he was made an honorary life member of the Australian Bridge Federation.