Who was Barney Frank? Longtime Democratic lawmaker, Wall Street reform architect and gay-rights advocate dies at 86

Key points

• Barney Frank, longtime Democratic lawmaker and a key architect of post-financial crisis Wall Street reforms, has died at the age of 86. Frank, who represented Massachusetts in Congress for more than three decades, died on Tuesday (May 19) after entering hospice care in Maine with congestive heart failure, according to his former campaign manager and close friend Jim Segel.
• He is survived by his husband, Jim Ready, and his family.
• Known for his sharp wit, combative debating style and outspoken liberal politics, Frank became a defining figure in Democratic politics through his work on financial regulation, LGBT rights and progressive economic policy.
• Pioneer for gay rights in Congress Frank made history in 1987 when he voluntarily came out as gay, becoming the first sitting member of Congress to do so publicly.
• At a time when few national politicians openly discussed their sexuality, Frank became one of the country’s most visible...