McNulty was born in County Londonderry, Ireland, but immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1876.

From 1903 to 1918, Frank Joseph McNulty served as President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

He also served as a member of a commission that studied the municipal ownership of utilities in Great Britain.

During World War I, he served as a member of a board of adjustment to resolve labor-management disputes in the railroad industry without work stoppages.

Frank Joseph McNulty is buried in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in East Orange.