‘Giant of American politics’: Markey, Warren, other Mass. politicians remember longtime congressman Barney Frank

Political leaders took to social media Wednesday to remember Barney Frank, the longtime Massachusetts representative who died Tuesday at 86.

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Frank, known for pushing through consumer protections after the 2008 financial crash as well as his unabashed advocacy for gay rights on the national stage, was a “giant of American politics,” Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey said in a statement.

Markey served alongside Frank for more than 40 years; much of it in Washington D.C. But before being elected to Congress — four years apart from each other — the two were young representatives in the Massachusetts State House, “seats 67 and 68,” he said.

“We didn’t have staff. He didn’t need it,” he said. “He was one of the smartest, funniest, most insightful, most unapologetic yet practical leaders I had ever met, and he remained so for the entire time we worked together and after.”

Frank was “simultaneously visionary and effective, a liberal and a pragmatist” who left behind a “legacy of reform and consumer protection [that] reaches from the Wall Street trading floors that he reined in to the homes of the South Coast fishermen whose way of life he championed and protected.”

His rhetorical talent was “legendary,” something he would use to reduce what his opponents called “intractable problems” into “what he knew were simple solutions that everyone understood,” Markey said.

Senator Elizabeth Warren described Frank as “the gravelly voiced, smart-as-a-whip congressman” who pushed through the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which she proposed while still a professor at Harvard Law School.

“His one-liners were wicked and wickedly funny,” Warren said in a statement. “Barney delivered for working people, and the world is a poorer place without him.”

Frank, a Newton Democrat, was first elected to Congress in 1980 and served 16 terms before retiring in 2013.

His successors to the seat both described him as larger than life.

“As a mentor and a friend, he made me a better lawmaker — and he made me laugh,“ Representative Jake Auchincloss wrote on social media.”My staff and I, representing the district he faithfully served for three decades, will always treasure his stories, his encouragement, and his advice.“

Beyond the Dodd–Frank legislation that overhauled the US financial regulatory system,Auchincloss also praised Frank’s unabashed advocacy for LGBT causes “at a time when it wasn’t popular or safe to be an out lawmaker,” as well as his push for federally funded affordable housing.

“His legislation and leadership made America more fair and more just,” Auchincloss wrote.

Former US Representative Joe Kennedy III said in a post on X that he knew he had “extraordinarily big shoes to fill” when he was electedin 2012 to the seat Frank had held.

“Barney Frank was fearless, brilliant, and one of the great public servants of our time,” Kennedy wrote. “He reminded us that politics is ultimately about what we owe one another — and he said it better than anyone: ‘Government is simply the name we give to the things we choose to do together.’”

Others in the state’s congressional delegation said Frank’s legacy touched not only his constituents but millions more across the country.

“Thank you for your relentless advocacy for consumers,” said Representative Ayanna Pressley, who serves on the House Financial Services Committee that Frank once chaired. “Thank you for showing up as your full self — and creating permission for others to do the same.“

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Representative Lori Trahan described Frank as a “true legislator who understood the role of Congress.” Seth Moulton, a Salem Democrat, wrote that the best way to honor Frank’s legacy is by “continuing to fight for more affordable housing and consumer protections.”

Jim McGovern, a Worcester Democrat who served alongside Frank in Congress for more than 15 years, said the late Congressman was “dynamic, colorful, unforgettable, [and] irreplaceable.”

“When I was an aide to [formerRepresentative] Joe Moakley, he would turn the TV up any time Barney spoke on the House Floor: ‘Be quiet. Listen. This is about to be good!’“ McGovern recalled. ”And it always was.”

Governor Maura Healey echoed the consensus that Frank was “one of a kind,” describing him as “a giant in public life who helped change Massachusetts and America for the better.”

His work in expanding civil rights and reforming consumer safeguards after the 2008 financial meltdown “left an indelible mark on public life in Boston, our Commonwealth, and the country,” said Steve Kerrigan, chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party.

Kerrigan, who is gay, added that Frank’s advocacy for LGBT rights was a source of personal inspiration. In 1987, Frank became the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay.

In doing so, Frank “not only broke barriers but did so with courage, authenticity, and an unwavering commitment to public service,” Kerrigan said.

“Seeing him live openly and serve with distinction helped affirm that there is a place for all of us in shaping the future, exactly as we are,” he added.

Pete Buttigieg, who as transportation secretary was the country’s first openly gay Cabinet member, wrote on X that as a young man he watched Frank’s “unique political style” on the House floor.

“Years later, I’m not sure I would have had the chance to serve if Barney Frank hadn’t demonstrated that courage, commitment, and skill can matter more than others’ imagination about what voters are ‘ready’ for,” he said.

William C. Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said Frank not only broke barriers as a sitting gay Congressman but also “remained proudly and unapologetically Jewish throughout his public life.”

“Barney Frank, z”l, represented a generation of public servants who combined sharp intellect, moral conviction, and an unmistakable voice,” Daroff wrote, using a Jewish honorific.

Markey, in his statement, praised Frank’s political vision as well as his “legendary” wit and powerful softball swing.

“I was honored and inspired to serve alongside him for Massachusetts, to vote alongside him in the most consequential of national debates, and to call him a lifelong friend,” he said.

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