Biographies: Thomas F. FRAWLEY, Eau Claire, Eau Claire Co., WI ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, or the legal representative of the contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Nance Sampson 13 December 2000 ==================================================================== Thomas F. Frawley was born near Troy, N. Y., March 6, 1851. His parents, Thomas and Honora (Hogan) Frawley, were natives of Ireland, and possessed such attainments of mind and heart as especially fitted them to mould the character of their children. The father was studious, thoughtful, industrious, independent and energetic, and the mother of kindly, cheerful and benevolent disposition, being a woman of deep religious convictions. The family consisted of seven sons and two daughters, all of whom were thoroughly educated. It is quite a remarkable fact that six of the sons graduated from the University of Wisconsin and that from 1870 to 1896 some member of the family was a student at that institution. A short time after the birth of Thomas F. Frawley, the family moved to Wisconsin and settled upon a farm in the town of Vermont, Kane county (?Dane?), and there he resided until 1875. Until he was seventeen years of age the boy assisted in the cultivation of the farm, attending district school during the winter months. For two terms he was a student at the Albion Academy in Dane county, and in the spring of 1872 entered the University of Wisconsin. From October, 1873, until June, 1874, he taught school at Highland and Dodgeville, but during that period he continued his studies in the university and was graduated therefrom in 1875, having largely paid the expenses of his collegiate education with the money he earned as a teacher. As a university student he was an acknowledged leader in debate, being a participant in the joint oratorical contest of 1874. For five years after his graduation Mr. Frawley served as principal of the high school in Eau Claire. During this period he commenced the study of his profession and formed the nucleus of his law library, which was considered one of the most complete private collections in the state. Upon his admission to the bar in 1880 he abandoned the educational field and earnestly assumed the duties of his new profession. During the first few years of his career he conducted the defence of many important criminal cases. Among those being best known my be mentioned that growing out of the lynching of Olson in Trempealeau county in 1889. In later years he gave most of his attention to civil cases, especially those involving important question of corporation law. Mr. Frawley was a democrat of high standing. In 1888 he served as a delegate to the National Democratic Convention held in St. Louis. In 1892, upon the delivery of his telling speech before the state convention, the old ticket was nominated for re-election. For many years prior to 1896 Mr. Frawley was a member of the Democratic State Central Committee. In June of that year he was chose both temporary and permanent chairman of the state convention, which convened in Milwaukee for the purpose of selecting delegates to the national convention called to meet in Chicago. Mr. Frawley was for ten years a member and for several terms president of the Common Council of Eau Claire. Interested in educational matters, he was for many years a member of the Board of Education, and in that capacity did much to improve the school system of the city. He was financially and professionally interested in several corporations, being a stockholder and director of the Chippewa Valley Bank, and stockholder and attorney for the Eau Claire Light & Power Company, in addition to holding similar relations to other corporations. On the sixth day of August, 1877, Mr. Frawley was married to Lydia A., daughter of Joseph Lawler, one of the early settlers of Eau Claire, and one of its most highly respected citizens. They had one son, Thomas F. Frawley, Jr., who is now a practicing attorney in Eau Claire. During the many years that Mr. Frawley was a member of the legal profession he formed several connections. From 1881 to 1884 he was of the firm of Frawley, Hendrix & Brooks; from 1884 to 1888 he practiced alone; the following year his brother, W. H. Frawley, was his partner, and from August, 1889 to August, 1890, he was associated with H. H. Hayden as a member of the firm of Hayden & Frawley. From August, 1890, until September, 1897, Mr. Frawley had no partner, but at the latter date the firm of Frawley, Bundy & Wilcox was formed. The death of Mr. Frawley occurred in 1902. --Taken from "The History of Eau Claire County, 1914, Past & Present", page 279.