Frank William Towey Jr. (November 5, 1895 – September 4, 1979) was an American
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
. Towey, a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, served as the
United States representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.St. Peter's Preparatory School
Saint Peter's Preparatory School ("Saint Peter's Prep" or "Prep") is a private, all-male, Jesuit, college-preparatory school located in Jersey City, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. T ...
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
, graduating in 1916. Towey then attended the
Fordham University School of Law
Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test take ...
, graduating in 1919. He was commissioned as an
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
second lieutenant in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
in September 1918, and he served until he was honorably discharged in January 1919. He was admitted to the bar in 1920 and started his
law practice
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professi ...
Frederick R. Lehlbach
Frederick Reimold Lehlbach (January 31, 1876 – August 4, 1937) was an American lawyer and politician. As a Republican, Lehlbach served as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 10th congressional district from 1915 to 1933 and as the repres ...
. In a very close election, Towey beat the incumbent Lehlbach, capturing 54,688 votes in comparison to his 54,363, giving Towey a 49.9%-49.6% victory. Towey would only serve one term in the House of Representatives. In the 1938 House elections, Towey faced Republican challenger
Robert W. Kean
Robert Winthrop Kean (September 28, 1893 – September 21, 1980) was an American Republican Party politician and member of one of the nation's oldest and longest serving political families.
Kean represented parts of Essex County, New Jerse ...
, a member of the
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
Kean political family. Towey lost to Kean by a nearly 14% margin.Moore (1994), pg. 1186
Towey resumed his law practice in Newark. From 1940 to 1947, he served as a member of the state's Selective Appeal Board. In 1943, he became assistant to the
United States Attorney General
The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
, remaining in this position until 1955.
Death
Towey died in Montclair, New Jersey on September 4, 1979 at the age of 83. His ashes were interred in Acacia Memorial Park, near
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...