My Genealogy Hound

Frank R. Lawless, president of the town board of New Harmony, is a native of Ireland. He was born in the city of Dublin in 1870, and when a child came to America with his parents, who settled in Richland county, Illinois. Here young Lawless spent his boyhood days, and attended the public schools until about fifteen years of age, when his mother died. He then went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he learned the trade of sheet metal worker and plumbing, heating, and ventilating. After mastering his trade, Mr. Lawless worked as a journeyman in Cincinnati, Detroit and St. Louis for a time, and in 1894 came to New Harmony and engaged in business for himself. His business embraces plumbing, sheet metal working, heating, and ventilating. He has completed several of the most extensive contracts in his line in Posey county, and from a business standpoint, has met with well earned success. As a mechanic, he is master of his art, and as a manager of men, he is equally competent. While Mr. Lawless has been successful in a business way, he has also devoted much time and study to local municipal affairs. He was first elected a member of the city council in 1906, and since that time, has been untiring in his efforts for civic betterment of New Harmony. He is now serving his fourth term as president of the town board, and every term of his administrations has been characterized by improvement and betterment of conditions. Under his careful and far-sighted business methods as applied to municipal affairs, New Harmony’s municipal lighting plant is an institution of which any citizen of New Harmony may be proud. Other improvements at which he has aimed and fought for have been equally successful. He has endeavored to administer the affairs of the town with fairness to all and special privilege to none and has succeeded as nearly as is possible. If he has made mistakes, they have been “mistakes of the head and not of the heart.” He has studied the problems which confronted him and has used his best judgment, and the result is that New Harmony has as good city government as any other municipality in the State. Mr. Lawless was married November 6, 1894, to Miss Carrie A. Smith, of Olney, Richland county, Illinois. To this union have been born four children: Robert, Richard, Charles and Paulinus, all students in the New Harmony schools. Mr. Lawless is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and chairman of the centennial executive committee of that order. His political affiliations are with the Democratic party, and he is a member of Holy Angels Catholic Church of New Harmony, of which he is a trustee.