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The Guardian World1 min read
Opinion: Remembering Barney Frank, trailblazing public servant
TL;DR
Former Rep. Barney Frank, a pioneering figure in U.S. politics, passed away at 86. He was known for his significant contributions to financial reforms during the subprime mortgage crisis.
Key points
- Barney Frank served over three decades in Congress
- He died at the age of 86
- Frank chaired the House Financial Services Committee during the subprime mortgage crisis
- He helped pass reforms protecting homeowners and consumers
- Returned over $21 billion to defrauded American consumers
Mentioned in this story
Barney FrankHouse Financial Services Committee
Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) speaking during a news conference on Capitol Hill September 26, 2008 in Washington, DC. Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
"I'm a left-handed gay Jew," Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank told The New York Times Magazine in 1996. "I've never felt, automatically, a member of any majority." But he did win majorities — Frank served more than three decades in Congress and made history as a deal-maker and a ground-breaker. He died this week at the age of 86.
During the subprime mortgage crisis that led to the Great Recession, Frank chaired the House Financial Services Committee as it passed sweeping reforms to the U.S. financial system. He helped write laws that protected homeowners from foreclosure and credit card users from unfair lending practices; banned commercial banks from certain risky trades and returned more than 21 billion dollars to defrauded American consumers.
Frank was also the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay, following the death of a colleague who had concealed his own sexuality. In 1987, he invited a Boston Globe reporter to his office to outright ask him, "Are you gay?" Frank answered, "Yeah. So what?" 25 years later, he became the first U.S. Representative to marry someone of the same gender.
And Frank spoke out so sharply, President George W. Bush called him "saber tooth."
He said he found it hard to read the 1998 Starr Report about President Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky because it was "too much reading about heterosexual sex."
He told a constituent who heckled him at a meeting in 2009 that "It is a tribute to the First Amendment that this kind of vile, contemptible nonsense is so freely propagated."
In a 2006 campaign ad, Rep. John Hostettler of Indiana accused Frank of having a "radical homosexual agenda." Hostettler lost that election, by the way. In a speech not long afterward, Frank made his position clear:
"I do think we should allow gay and lesbian people to serve in the military and get married and have a job," he said.
Q&A
What were Barney Frank's major contributions to U.S. financial reforms?
Barney Frank played a key role in passing reforms that protected homeowners from foreclosure, regulated credit card lending, and returned over $21 billion to defrauded consumers.
How long did Barney Frank serve in Congress?
Barney Frank served more than three decades in Congress, making a notable impact on American legislation.
What was Barney Frank's significance as a public servant?
Barney Frank was a trailblazer as an openly gay Jewish politician, known for his deal-making abilities and contributions to financial reform during critical economic times.
