Barney Frank, the powerful former Massachusetts congressman who left his mark on national financial policy and LGBTQ+ rights, has died at age 86, according to family sources.
A trailblazer for gay rights, Frank became the first openly gay member of Congress in 1987—a time when the homosexual community faced intense challenges from the AIDS epidemic. He also became the first sitting member of Congress to marry another man in 2012.
After the 2008 financial meltdown, Frank served as a key architect of the Dodd-Frank Act, which established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and aimed to prevent future banking crises. The legislation bears his name alongside that of former Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.).
In his final book, The Hard Path to Unity: Why We Must Reform the Left to Rescue Democracy, Frank urged Democrats to reject far-left policies including open borders, defunding police, and the “rule of the pronoun police.” He told The Atlantic in a recent interview that most Democrats agreed with him but had been “intimidated out of saying so.”
Frank’s sister confirmed his passing. “He was a wonderful brother. I was lucky to be his sister. I will miss him,” she said.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Frank as an “exceptional legislator, whose name is synonymous with the strongest consumer financial protections in history and whose advocacy helped forge a fairer future for all of our children.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren added: “In the aftermath of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, Barney Frank was the gravelly-voiced, smart-as-a-whip congressman who fought hard to get the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over the finish line. His one-liners were wicked and wickedly funny. Barney delivered for working people, and the world is a poorer place without him.”
