Billy Lawless | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senator | |
| In office 11 May 2016 – 27 March 2020 | |
| Constituency | Nominated by the Taoiseach |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Lawless 24 December 1950 Galway, Ireland |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Anne Lawless (m. 1980) |
| Children | 4 |
Billy Lawless (born 24 December 1950) is an Irish former Independent politician and businessman who served as a Senator from 2016 to 2020, after being nominated by the Taoiseach. [1] [2] Lawless is a native of Rahoon, County Galway. In the 1980s, he was Chair of Fine Gael in the Galway West constituency and stood unsuccessfully for Galway City Council in 1991. [3] [4] He emigrated to Chicago in 1998, having always harboured plans to open a business in the U.S. He made the decision after his daughter received a rowing scholarship to Boston University. [5]
Family currently owns five restaurants in the Chicago area, employing 460 people, [6] and is a board member and co-founder of the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition (IBIC) and Chair of Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform. [6]
Lawless has been credited with helping the cause of Irish immigrants and undocumented Irish in America, and was made Freeman of Galway in 2015 for these efforts. [6] He was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by NUI Galway in June 2015. [7] On 11 May 2016, Taoiseach Enda Kenny appointed Lawless to the 25th Seanad, making him the first overseas Irish Senator. [8]
Lawless had close ties to the Obama administration and was chosen to introduce the President when he announced his plans for immigration reform. [9] He was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2021 Seanad by-elections. In 2021, Lawless was awarded the Irish Presidential Distinguished Service Award for Irish Community Support. [10]
References
- ^ "Billy Lawless". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ "Pieta House founder among Kenny's Seanad nominees". RTÉ News. 27 May 2016. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ "Billy Lawless". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 22 February 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
- ^ Devine, Catherine (30 May 2016). "New Senator: Giving Enda's daughter a J1 job in Chicago 'not cronyism'". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ Clarke, Vivienne (30 May 2016). "Billy Lawless: Giving Kenny's daughter J1 job 'not cronyism'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ a b c O'Shea, Jamie (28 May 2016). "Billy Lawless named as first ever emigrant senator by Irish leader". Irish Central. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ "Honorary Conferrings". Cois Coiribe. Winter 2015. p. 49.
- ^ "Chicagoan Billy Lawless Appointed to Irish Seanad by Taoiseach Enda Kenny". Irish American News. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ O'Shea, James (29 May 2016). "New Irish emigrant senator under fire for Fine Gael, Kenny links". Irish Central. Archived from the original on 4 July 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
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"Archived copy". Archived from
the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
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