Former Congressman Barney Frank has died at the age of 86, closing the chapter on one of the most recognizable and controversial careers in modern Democratic politics. Frank reportedly passed away Tuesday at his home in Ogunquit, Maine, after battling congestive heart failure and entering hospice care in recent weeks.
For decades, Frank was one of the Democratic Party’s most aggressive public figures, famous for his sharp tongue, relentless debating style, and complete lack of patience for Republicans during congressional hearings. Cable news producers probably lowered flags to half-staff the second they heard the news, because nobody delivered sarcastic political combat on television quite like Barney Frank.
Frank represented Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District from 1981 until his retirement in 2013. During that time, he became one of the most influential Democrats in Congress, particularly on banking and financial policy. His name became permanently attached to the massive 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law, co-written with former Senator Chris Dodd following the 2008 financial crisis.
Supporters viewed the legislation as necessary oversight after the collapse of major banks and the housing market meltdown that wrecked millions of Americans financially. Critics, especially conservatives, argued the law created layers of federal bureaucracy that expanded government control over the economy while doing little to prevent future financial disasters. In Washington, that usually means everybody hated at least half of it, which is apparently how lawmakers know a bill is “historic.”
Frank was also a groundbreaking figure in national politics. In 1987, he publicly came out as gay while serving in Congress, becoming the first sitting member of Congress to do so voluntarily. Years later, he became the first sitting congressman to marry a same-sex partner. Even many political opponents acknowledged that took a level of personal courage that was rare in national politics at the time.
Born Barnett Frank in Bayonne, New Jersey, he graduated from Harvard University before beginning his political rise in Massachusetts state government during the 1970s. By the time he reached Congress, Frank had already developed the confrontational political style that would define his career for decades.
His time in office was not without scandal. In 1990, the House voted to reprimand Frank over ethics violations connected to his relationship with male escort Steve Gobie. The controversy would have ended many political careers instantly. Frank, however, survived politically and continued winning reelection comfortably for years afterward in his heavily Democratic district.
In one of his final interviews earlier this month, Frank reportedly criticized parts of today’s Democratic Party, warning that Democrats risked losing working-class voters by focusing too heavily on unpopular cultural battles instead of economic concerns. That may have been one of the few issues where conservatives and Barney Frank unexpectedly found themselves nodding in agreement.
Frank is survived by his husband, Jim Ready, and his sister, Doris Breay.
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