BOSTON—Former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, the 4th Congressional District Massachusetts Democrat who became one of the first openly gay members of Congress and a leading author of the landmark financial reforms that followed the 2007-2008 housing crash, has died. He was 86.
Frank died Tuesday night at his home in Ogunquit, Maine, after entering hospice care for congestive heart failure in April, according to friends and family.
Frank, who served in Congress from 1981 until his retirement in 2013, chaired the House Financial Services Committee from 2007 to 2011. He was a principal co-author of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the most sweeping overhaul of the nation’s financial regulations since the Great Depression. He faced criticism for his support of policies expanding homeownership through government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which some analysts said contributed to the subprime lending boom that led to the 2008 housing market collapse.
Frank’s death comes just two weeks before the start of Gay Pride Month in June. He was a gay-rights pioneer who broke glass ceilings for gay liberation in American politics having come out as gay in 1987, becoming the first sitting member of Congress to do so publicly.
For more than three decades in office, he championed AIDS funding, anti-discrimination protections and marriage equality, bringing unprecedented visibility to LGB issues on Capitol Hill. In 2012, he married his longtime partner, Jim Ready, becoming the first sitting congressman in a same-sex marriage.
Born Barnett Frank on March 31, 1940, in Bayonne, N.J., he was known for his sharp intellect, quick wit and combative style—especially duking it out with Bill O’Reilly on the O’Reilly Factor on Fox News, the highest-rated cable news show for years.
Colleagues and opponents alike often called him one of the House’s brightest and most eloquent members.
“Barney Frank and I came to Congress together. The minute he got here, he was a fountain of energy, intelligence, morality, and creativity – all aimed at making the world a better place. He never stopped and has had an amazing impact,” wrote Sen. Chuck Schumer on X. “We remained good friends after he retired, and we would continually discuss his plethora of incredible ideas to improve this country and this world that he loved so much. I will miss him as a friend, and the world will miss him as a great humanitarian leader.”
Frank is survived by his husband, Jim Ready, and several siblings.
Author: Mario Lotmore
