Frank J. O'Connell, Jr. (December 22, 1923 – January 31, 2004) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a
Republican member of the
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...
for the
20th district from 1979 to 1985.
He also served in the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...
for the
120th district from 1969 to 1978
and the
Luzerne County district from 1967 to 1968.
Early life and education
O'Connell was born in
Larksville, Pennsylvania
Larksville is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is west of Wilkes Barre on the Susquehanna River (along U.S. Route 11). The population was 4,216 as of the 2020 census.
History
Larksville was formed from a section of ...
, and graduated from St. Mary's High School.
He served in the U.S. Army for two years in Europe during
World War II, and later became a businessman who owned and operated the Kingston House restaurant and Columbia Catering.
Career
O'Connell served on the
Kingston Borough council from 1960 to 1971. Elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 120th district in 1967, he served five consecutive terms including as Minority Caucus Chairman from 1975 to 1976.
[
He then served as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 20th district from 1979 to 1985.][
]
Death
O'Connell died on January 31, 2004 in Port St. Lucia, Florida, and was interred at the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Kingston Township, Pennsylvania.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Frank
1923 births
2004 deaths
20th-century American politicians
United States Army personnel of World War II
Burials in Pennsylvania
Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
People from Larksville, Pennsylvania
Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators