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Frank McDonnell (Queensland politician)

The Hon
Frank McDonnell
StateLibQld 1 64851 Frank McDonnell.jpg
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Fortitude Valley
In office
21 March 1896 – 18 May 1907
Serving with John McMaster, William Higgs, David Bowman
Preceded by John Watson
Succeeded by John McMaster
Member of the Queensland Legislative Council
In office
3 July 1907 – 23 March 1922
Personal details
Born Francis McDonnell
(1863-01-24)24 January 1863
Ennis, County Clare, Ireland
Died 26 November 1928(1928-11-26) (aged 65)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Resting place Toowong Cemetery
Nationality Irish Australian
Political party Labour
Spouse(s) Mary Heffernan (m.1890 d.1952)
Occupation Draper, Newspaper proprietor
Religion Roman Catholic

Francis McDonnell (24 January 1863 – 26 November 1928) was a draper, and member of both the Queensland Legislative Council and the Queensland Legislative Assembly.

McDonnell was born at Ennis, County Clare, Ireland, in 1863 to James McDonnell, a farmer, and his wife Elizabeth (née Bradish) and attended Ennis Christian Brothers School. At aged thirteen, he worked in a factory before returning to school and then in 1879 he was working for Gallagher Bros as an apprentice draper. By coincidence, a fellow employee was T.C. Beirne, who also went on to make a name for himself as a draper in Brisbane.

Accompanied by his only sister, McDonnell arrived in Brisbane in 1886 and began work as a drapery assistant with Finney, Isles & Co., T. J. Geoghegan, and, from 1889 till 1896, Edwards & Lamb. In 1901, in partnership with Hubert East and the financial backing of Peter Murphy, they established McDonnell & East, Drapers.

In 1888, McDonnell helped organise the Shop Assistants' Early Closing Association and its associated publication, the Early Closing Advocate with articles by William Lane. As a Labour candidate, he contested the seat of Fortitude Valley at the 1893 colonial election, losing to the Ministerialists, John Watson and John McMaster.

McDonnell stood again for the seat of Fortitude Valley at the 1896 election, this time polling enough votes to finish second to John McMaster in the two-member electorate, and therefore winning a seat. He remained a member of the Legislative Assembly for the next eleven years, declining to stand at the 1907 election.


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