Frank W. Tomasello

Frank W. Tomasello (March 7, 1900 – March 12, 1986) was an American judge.

Personal life Tomasello was born to Italian immigrants Antonio Tomasello and Rosaria (born: Bonnano). He graduated from The English High School in 1917 and then studied Latin at Boston College. He earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from Boston University in 1921. Tomasello served in the United States Army during World War I.

A veteran, he spoke out against the abuse of servicemen, and was a supporter of the Legion of Decency.

Career Tomasello was admitted to the bar in 1921 and began his career in the office of Francis J. W. Ford. In 1923 he was admitted to the federal bar. In 1925 he opened his own office on Tremont Street. He served as defense counsel during the 1934 Berrett-Molway murder trial and was an attorney for the Home Owners' Loan Corporation. In 1935, Ford, then serving as United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, made Tomasello an assistant U.S. attorney. He also worked as an aide to Governor Charles F. Hurley who later appointed him as a judge on the Boston Municipal Court in 1937. In 1958 he was appointed a judge of the Massachusetts Superior Court by Foster Furcolo. He was considered for a position on the federal bench by President John F. Kennedy but asked the president not to appoint him lest it appear too political.

In 1970, during the Vietnam War, he ordered a 17-year-old girl to carry the American flag from Harvard Square to the Middlesex Courthouse and back instead of going to jail for burning the flag.