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Barney Frank Dies at 86, Remembered as Gay-Rights Pioneer and Architect of Dodd-Frank

Having entered hospice with congestive heart failure, his family has scheduled a public memorial for June 8 at Faneuil Hall.

Overview

  • Jim Segel, Frank’s longtime friend and former campaign manager, confirmed late Tuesday that Frank died at 86 after entering hospice care in Ogunquit, Maine for congestive heart failure.
  • Frank served 32 years in the U.S. House from 1981 to 2013 and rose to chair the House Financial Services Committee during the 2008 crisis.
  • He co-authored the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010, a sweeping overhaul that tightened bank oversight and created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
  • Frank was the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay in 1987 and in 2012 became the first sitting lawmaker to marry a same-sex partner, but his record included a 1990 House reprimand and long-running disputes over transgender inclusion.
  • In his final weeks from hospice he gave interviews urging pragmatic tactics for Democrats, comments that drew praise from some allies and sharp criticism from transgender advocates and other activists.