IL SR1289

William Noel "Billy" Lawless passed away on November 8, 2024, and was born December 24, 1950 in Galway, Ireland before immigrating to the United States in 1998.

Lawless was a dairy farmer and Olympic-trained rower in Ireland who became a real estate agent and restaurateur in Chicago, founding the Gage Hospitality Group which operates multiple restaurants including Irish Oak, The Gage, Acanto, Coda Di Volpe, and The Dawson.

He advocated for immigration reform and undocumented immigrants in the restaurant industry, worked with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights to extend driver's license privileges to undocumented immigrants, and appeared with President Barack Obama in 2014.

Lawless served as an appointed emigrant senator from the Republic of Ireland from 2016 to 2020, championing the Irish diaspora and immigration reform.

The Illinois Senate mourns his passing and extends condolences to his wife Anne, four children, grandchildren, and extended family.