Frank Sposa, conducting business under the name of the Manhattan Clothing Company, was born in Salerno, Italy, March 19, 1878, and is a son of Antonio and Pasqualina (Monaco) Sposa, who in 1887 crossed the Atlantic to the United States and established their home in New York city, where the father is living at the age of sixty-six years, while the mother has reached the age of sixty. He was engaged in mercantile pursuits in Italy but is now living retired.

  Frank Sposa was the second in order of birth in their family of sixteen children. He was a lad of but nine years when the family crossed the Atlantic and in the schools of New York he pursued his education. He sold papers on the streets of that city, starting out as thousands of other enterprising American lads have done. In fact, there are few successful business men who cannot claim that at some time or other they were earning money through selling papers. At length he entered a private detective agency in New York city and was employed by different agencies for some time. In 1904 he came to New Haven, entering the service of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad as special detective agent. He continued with that company until 1911, when he opened a private detective agency on his own account and won a liberal patronage. A local paper spoke of him as “one of the cleverest private detectives ever employed by the New Haven road, a man who in six years worked himself up from special officer to special agent and then division special agent, a position corresponding to a police captaincy in the city force.” His superior officers always spoke of him and his work in terms of high commendation. He was connected with a number of important detective cases. In 1915 he entered a different line of business, organizing the Manhattan Clothing Company, of which he is the president, and in this connection he has already developed a gratifying business.

  On the 3d of June, 1903, Mr. Sposa was married to Miss Theresa Monaco, who was born in New York city, a daughter of John and Nunziata (Murano) Monaco, the former deceased, while the latter is still living. They became the parents of five children of whom two are living: Lena, who was born August 3, 1904; and Frank, born December 1, 1908. Both were born in New Haven and are attending school.

  Mr. Sposa and his wife are communicants of St. Anthony’s church. He belongs to various Italian societies, is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Young Men’s Republican Club and the Italian American Athletic Club. Since starting out on his own account Mr. Sposa has steady worked his way upward. He studied by candle light, devoting his leisure hours to improving his mind and thus gaining a knowledge that has constituted one of the basic elements of his advancement. He has a wonderfully alert mind and quick eye, together with a retentive memory. These qualities featured largely in his successful detective work and are proving equally valuable in the conduct of his commercial interests.