Barney Frank lived from March 31, 1940 to May 19, 2026 and was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democrat, he served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee from 2007 to 2011 and was a leading co-sponsor of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, the primary legislative response to the 2007-2008 financial crisis. In 1987 he publicly came out as gay, becoming the first member of Congress to do so voluntarily, and in July 2012 he became the first sitting member of Congress to marry someone of the same sex.
Facts
RoleUnited States Representative (Massachusetts); chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, leading co-sponsor of the Dodd-Frank Act 2 Nationality / JurisdictionUnited States; federal financial-services regulation, U.S. House of Representatives 2 BirthplaceBayonne, New Jersey, United States 2 Place of DeathOgunquit, Maine, United States 2 Classification
Field of Law Field of Law Role
Role (category) FAQs
Was Barney Frank trained as a lawyer?
He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1977 while serving as a Massachusetts state representative.
Yes. Frank graduated from Harvard Law School in 1977, while he was serving as a Massachusetts state representative. Earlier he had studied for a PhD in government at Harvard but left in 1968 before completing the degree, to become Boston mayor Kevin White's Chief Assistant.
Connections
In Legal System
Source Wikidata: Barney Frank
Works Attributed
Representative Barney Frank, lead House sponsor; the Act is named for him.
In the Other Atlases
Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Source Barney Frank (Wikipedia)Lead sentence 1tier 2Quote, Lead sentence 1
Barney Frank (March 31, 1940 – May 19, 2026) was an American politician who served as a member of the U.S.
Sources
1. Barney Frank (Wikipedia)
IntroductionQuote, Introduction
Barney Frank (March 31, 1940 - May 19, 2026) was an American politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013.
View the Source 2. Barney Frank (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIntroduction
Barney Frank (March 31, 1940 - May 19, 2026) was an American politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013.
Illness and death section
On April 28, 2026, it was announced that Frank had entered into hospice care in Ogunquit, Maine, for congestive heart failure. He died less than a month later, on May 19, at the age of 86.
Early life, education, and early career section
Frank was born on March 31, 1940, in Bayonne, New Jersey, one of four children of Elsie (née Golush) and Samuel Frank.
View the Source 3. Wikidata: Barney Frank
Wikidata Q537287, P1477 birth name claim
P1477 (birth name): Barnett Frank
- In Legal System: Law of the United States, Barney Frank (March 31, 1940, May 19, 2026) was an American politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Repr
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