Presidents of the Knights of St. Patrick

Current President

Bernadette Smyth LaFrance

Bernadette Smyth LaFrance is a distinguished first-generation Irish American whose life long dedication to service and leadership has left a profound mark on the Irish community in Greater New Haven. For more than three decades, she has championed the preservation and celebration of Irish culture and heritage, continuing the proud legacy of her family, who have been active in the Knights of St. Patrick, the New Haven Gaelic Football & Hurling Club/Irish American Community Center, and the Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee for over sixty years.

Bernadette’s journey is defined by historic firsts and enduring contributions. She was crowned Queen of the 1994 St. Patrick’s Day Parade and, in 2008, honored to serve as its Grand Marshal. In 2015, she became only the second woman to be named Knight oft he Year by the Knights of St. Patrick and the first to receive the Club’s traditional Green Jacket. Three years later, she was awarded the inaugural Kevin J. Smith Award for Excellence in Executive Leadership by the Parade Committee’s Executive Board of Directors. In 2019, she broke new ground as the first woman ever elected Executive Chairman of the Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade, guiding one of the oldest parades of its kind in the United States, with roots tracing back to 1842.

In 2025, Bernadette achieved another historic milestone when she was elected President of the Knights of St. Patrick, becoming the first woman to hold this office since the organization’s founding in 1878. Her election represents not only a personal achievement but also a transformative moment in the storied history of one of America’s oldest Irish organizations.

With a proven record in executive leadership, strategic development, and revenue-generating fundraising, Bernadette has strengthened the financial foundation andcultural mission of both the Knights of St. Patrick and the Greater New Haven St.Patrick’s Day Parade. Her work has ensured that these institutions remain vibrant pillars of heritage, community, and charity for generations to come.

Bernadette resides in Guilford with her husband, Rob, and their three sons, John, Joseph, and James. While she has earned recognition as a trailblazer and leader within the Irish American community, she is proudest of her role as a devoted wife and mother—a role she considers her greatest honor and most meaningful legacy.

Past Presidents

1878 Francis Donnelly

1879/80 Patrick McKenna

1881 Michael Dillon

1882/83 Joseph D. Plunkett

1884 Michael Fahy

1885 Patrick Doyle

1886 M.C. O’Connor, MD

1887 Frank E. Craig

1888 James Reilly

1889 John E. McPartland

1890 Thomas Brennan

1891/92 John G. Healy

1893 David Callahan

1894/96 William Neely

1897/98 Thomas I. Kinney

1899 John F. Luby, MD

2000/01 Brian G. Enright

2001/02 David F. Huntington

2002/03 Timothy G. O’Connor

2003/04 Daniel J. O’Brien

2004/05 David Melillo

2005/06 Patrick J. Shanley

2006/07 Kevin A. Smith

2007/08 Kevin A. Smith

2008/09 Chris Coogan

2009/10 Ray Coogan, Jr.

2010/11 Ronald R. Treanor

2011/12 Michael J. York

2012/13 Michael J. York

2013/14 Patrick J. Smith

2014/15 Patrick J. Smith

2015/16 Michael P. O’Hare

2016/17 Michael P. O’Hare

2017/18 Michael dePascale

2018/19 Michael dePascale

2019/20 John Tolbert

2020/21 Mark Smith

2021/22 Mark Smith

2022/23 Patrick J. Smith

2023/24 Seamus Bohan

2024/25 John McGovern

1900 M.C. O’Connor, MD

1901 Daniel Colwell

1902 Dennis Martin

1903 Henry A. Spang, DDS

1904/05 William J. Sheehan, MD

1906 John H. Dillon

1907/09 Frank W. Tiernan

1910/11 J.J. Cohane, MD

1912 William B. McCarthy

1913/14 Edward J. Duggan

1915/16 James S. Maher, MD

1917 James M. English

1918/19 Thomas Maxwell

1920 M. Frank Hope

1921/22 Charles J. Walker

1923/24 John J. Kinney

1925/26 J.A. Delacy

1927/28 Bernard P. Corbett

1929/30 Angus F. White, DDS

1931/40 James J. Sisk

1941 Edward J. O’Neill

1942 Robert E. Kelly

1943 Philip J. McLean

1944 James M. Roche

1945 William Legrand

1946 John J. Kelly

1947 Roy W. Davidson

1948 Thomas J. Ryan

1949 David J. Leach

1950 Calvin R. Brown

1951 Edward B. Eustace, DDS

1952/53 Jay Quinn

1953/54 Frank P. Keefe

1955 Stephen Madigan

1955/56 Leroy J. Miller

1956/57 Edward M. Walsh

1957/58 Charles T. Flynn, MD

1958/59 Howard J. Sullivan

1959/60 James M. Quinn

1960/61 James F. Smith

1961/62 Joseph C. Clifford, DDS

1962/63 James C. Bowe

1963/64 Edward J. Downey

1964/65 William E. Devine

1965/66 William J. Heffernan

1966/67 Joseph W. Bodie

1967/68 Joseph H. Fleming

1968/69 Edward A. Taylor

1969/70 James K. Filan, MD

1970/71 William J. Roper

1971/72 George H. Allen

1972/73 Daniel R. Gooley

1973/74 William F. O’Connell

1974/75 Elwood A. Mcgowan

1975/76 E. Michael Heffernan

1976/77 John F. Walsh

1977/78 John F. Peters

1978/79 Robert T. Dinan

1979/80 John R. O’Connor

1980/81 Thomas N. Roche

1981/82 Gerald A. Heffernan

1982/83 Robert C. Shanley

1983/84 James O. Walsh

1984/85 Robert M. O’Connell

1985/86 John M. Maher

1986/87 Michael V. Lynch

1987/88 James R. Fitzgerald

1988/89 Joseph P. Faughnan

1989/90 William F. McCabe

1800-1898

1900-1999

2000