Barney Frank, Former Massachusetts Congressman and Dodd-Frank Author, Dies at 86

Barney Frank, the longtime Democratic congressman from Massachusetts who helped craft the Dodd-Frank financial reform law and became one of the most visible gay elected officials in the country, died late Tuesday. He was 86. Frank died in hospice care in Ogunquit, Maine, according to Jim Segel, his former campaign manager and close friend.

He had entered hospice in April with congestive heart failure.

He later worked as an aide to Boston Mayor Kevin White and won a seat in the Massachusetts House in 1972 before being elected to Congress in 1980. Frank represented Massachusetts in the House for 32 years, serving until 2013. He rose to chair the House Financial Services Committee and became known for his sharp wit and focus on consumer protections.

Frank publicly came out as gay in 1987, the first member of Congress to do so voluntarily. In 2012 he married his husband, Jim Ready, becoming the first sitting lawmaker on Capitol Hill to marry someone of the same sex. He helped secure funding for AIDS programs and pressed the Clinton administration to lift the ban on gays serving in the military.

In 1987 the House voted to reprimand him over his relationship with a male prostitute hired in 1985. Chris Dodd, Frank helped pass the Dodd-Frank Act, which imposed new capital requirements on banks and expanded consumer protections after the 2008 financial crisis.

During President Donald Trump’s second term, the administration has moved to roll back several provisions of the law. Frank remained active after leaving Congress, including as a contributor to Newsmax. He is survived by his husband, Jim Ready, and sisters Ann Lewis and Doris Breay.