Barney Frank
U.S. Representative
Democrat, Massachusetts
- Date of Birth: March 31, 1940
- Birthplace: Bayonne, N.J.
- Place of Residence: Newton, Mass.
- First Elected: 1980
Committee Assignments:
House Committee on Financial ServicesBarney Frank is the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and has played a leading role in crafting responses to the economic crisis. He was born and raised in Bayonne, New Jersey, just south of Jersey City where his father ran a truck stop. Frank earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1962. He was teaching classes and working on a graduate degree at Harvard when he took a job as chief assistant to Boston Mayor Kevin White. In 1972, Frank was elected to the state legislature, where he served for eight years. In 1980, he was elected to the House, and he since has won most of his reelection bids by overwhelming percentages. In 1987, Frank announced he was gay, the first member of Congress to do so. In the House, Frank has focused his attention on national issues, such as financial reform and housing, and is known for his wit, candid remarks, and debating skills. He was voted by members of Congress as one of the hardest working members in the chamber. In 2010, Frank and his Senate counterpart Chris Dodd guided the passage of the landmark Wall Street reform bill, an effort Frank has been fiercely committed to since becoming financial services chair in 2006. Frank's colorful quotations were compiled in a 2006 book called, "Frank Talk: The Wit and Wisdom of Barney Frank."
Congressional District 4
Massachusetts
4th Congressional District
Campaign Fundraising
2009 - Present| Top 5 Organizations | PACs | Individuals | Total |
| FMR Corp | $10,000 | $68,900 | $78,900 |
| ActBlue | $0 | $47,212 | $47,212 |
| Bank of America | $5,000 | $20,000 | $25,000 |
| State Street Corp | $0 | $23,500 | $23,500 |
| New York Life Insurance | $10,000 | $12,750 | $22,750 |
| Top 5 Industries | PACs | Individuals | Total |
| Securities & Investment | $99,550 | $251,407 | $350,957 |
| Insurance | $197,299 | $66,800 | $264,099 |
| Real Estate | $60,000 | $186,300 | $246,300 |
| Lawyers & Law Firms | $48,250 | $153,464 | $201,714 |
| Retired | $0 | $160,456 | $160,456 |
Barney Frank in the News
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Milligan: Reporters, If Barney Frank Made You Cry, Suck It Up
December 09, 2011
Journalists should be less sensitive when dealing with surly politicians. -
Democrats Shrug Off Retirements
November 29, 2011
Barney Frank's seat has strong Democratic DNA officials say. - Is There Any Way Republicans Can Convince the Country That They Are Moderates? In the war of words over Barack Obama's presidency, one important asset for conservatives has been the ability to identify at least a few self-styled "centrists" to periodically support the standard Republican claim that Obama is a dangerous leftist who is recklessly expanding the federal government beyond any past precedent or reasonable expectation. Unsurprisingly, after the president's recent jobs speech and his deficit reduction proposal, we are at a moment when conservatives are eagerly harvesting expressions of "centrist" dismay to complement claims that Obama has lurched dangerously to the…
- Big Progressive Confab Coming Up In DC Campaign for America's Future, a prominent Washington progressive advocacy shop, and its partners this year will hold the Take Back the American Dream conference October 3-5 in Washington. In relaunching the meeting, the organization has teamed up with the new…
- Barney Frank Working On Legislation To Overhaul the Federal Reserve Representative Barney Frank, the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, is working on legislation that would transform the Federal Reserve's decision-making process. Frank plans to submit a bill that would remove the votes of the five regional Federal…
