Barney Frank Dies at 86, Who Died Today After 32 Years in Congress

Barney Frank, the former Massachusetts congressman who helped shape financial regulation and LGBTQ+ rights, died at 86 on Tuesday, making this who died today news for readers tracking national political figures. Jim Segel, Frank’s former campaign manager and close friend, confirmed the death to the.

Frank’s House Career

Frank served 32 years in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat from Massachusetts. He was the first incumbent member of Congress to choose to come out and the first incumbent to marry someone of the same sex, two milestones that put him at the center of two major political debates during his career.

His public role did not end with Congress. Frank entered hospice care in his home in Maine in April, then appeared on earlier this month to discuss the future of the liberal rights movement and the Democratic Party. He also told Politico in April that he would not see the continued implosion of Donald Trump.

Dodd-Frank Act Legacy

Frank was the lead sponsor of the Dodd-Frank Act, Congress’ response to the 2008 financial crisis. The law created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, placing his name on one of the central changes to financial regulation after the crisis.

That record drew tributes after his death. Barack Obama said Frank fought tirelessly for the people of Massachusetts and helped pass sweeping financial reforms, adding that Frank’s “passion and wit were second to none.” Nancy Pelosi said “working families in Massachusetts and beyond have lost an iconic champion,” and added that colleagues were blessed by his “boundless knowledge, sage wisdom and great humor.”

Barney Frank Family

Frank was born in Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey, on March 31, 1940. He is survived by his husband, Jim Ready, sisters Ann Lewis and Doris Breay, and brother David Frank.

For readers who knew Frank mainly through the fights he helped lead, the immediate next chapter is personal: his family and political allies are now the ones carrying his legacy, while the public record of his House career and his role in Dodd-Frank remains fixed in the institutions he helped shape.