Francis Luke McNamara Jr. (born November 4, 1947, in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

) is an American attorney who served as the

United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The first court session was held ...

from 1987 to 1989.

Early life

After graduating from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1969, McNamara joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He served as an Intelligence Officer during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. He graduated from the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

in 1976 and in 1977 was admitted to the Massachusetts bar.

Legal career

From 1977 to 1980, McNamara worked as an associate at

Choate, Hall & Stewart Choate Hall & Stewart LLP, commonly referred to as "Choate", is a Boston-based law firm. The firm is known for having a one-office approach to its operations. Recognition In 2019, The Vault named Choate one of the top ten law firms to work for ...

. He then became an Assistant General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the

Boston Gas Company National Grid plc is a British multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, England. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom, where it owns and operates electricity and natural gas transmission networks ...

. In 1983, McNamara was a founding partner in the law firm of Vena, McNamara, Truelove & Lahey. In April 1987, McNamara was appointed by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. In November 1988, the Justice Department released a report concluding that McNamara had falsely accused his predecessor,

William F. Weld William Floyd Weld (born July 31, 1945) is an American attorney, businessman, author, and politician who served as the 68th Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. A Harvard and Oxford graduate, Weld began his career as legal counsel to ...

, of smoking marijuana. An investigation was then opened to determine whether McNamara had deliberately lied. On January 27, 1989, 28 of his 39 assistant attorneys sent a letter to Attorney General

Dick Thornburgh Richard Lewis Thornburgh (July 16, 1932 – December 31, 2020) was an American lawyer, author, and Republican politician who served as the 41st governor of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1987, and then as the United States attorney general fro ...

seeking McNamara's "immediate resignation or removal." He resigned on January 31, 1989. He then returned to private practice and established the law firm of McNamara & Associates.

Political career

In 1982 he was a Republican candidate for Congress in

Massachusetts's 8th congressional district Massachusetts's 8th congressional district is located in eastern Massachusetts, including part of Boston. It is represented by Democrat Stephen Lynch. For one congressional term (1791–1793), it served as the home district of the District of Ma ...

. He defeated former State Republican Chairman

William Barnstead William A. Barnstead (November 3, 1919 – July 9, 2009) was an American businessman and politician who served as chairman of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee from 1974 to 1975. Early career Barnstead was the founder of Consolidated Ma ...

in the primary 5,429 votes to 4,477. In the general election he lost to Democratic

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

Tip O'Neill Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill Jr. (December 9, 1912 – January 5, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 47th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, representing northern Boston, Massachusetts, as ...

123,296 votes to 41,370. In 1984, McNamara was named the first chairman of the Massachusetts chapter of Citizens for America. In 2011, McNamara was a candidate for Chairman of the

Massachusetts Republican Party The Massachusetts Republican Party (MassGOP) is the Massachusetts branch of the U.S. Republican Party. In accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 52, the party is governed by a state committee which consists of one man and one woma ...

. He lost to businessman

Robert Maginn Robert A. Maginn Jr. (born October 31, 1956) is an American businessman and political figure who served as the chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party from 2011 to 2013. Education Maginn graduated ''summa cum laude'' from the University of ...

51 votes to 21.

Financial services career

From 2003 to 2005, McNamara served as the President of Parkman Shaw & Company, Inc., a

Registered Investment Advisor A registered investment adviser (RIA) is a firm that is an investment adviser in the United States, registered as such with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or a state's securities agency. The numerous references to RIAs within the Inves ...

. In April 2006 he became a Managing Director at the wealth management firm of Highmount Capital LLC.

Personal life

McNamara and his wife Elizabeth are the parents of twelve children. He currently resides in

Bolton, Massachusetts Bolton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Bolton is in eastern Massachusetts, located 25 miles west-northwest of downtown Boston. The population was 5,665 at the 2020 census. History The town of Bolton was incorpora ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McNamara, Frank 1947 births Harvard College alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni Massachusetts lawyers Massachusetts Republicans People from Bolton, Massachusetts United States Attorneys for the District of Massachusetts Living people