Barnett Frank born March 31, is a retired American politician. He served as a member of the U. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from to Frank, a resident of Newton, Massachusetts , was considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States during his time in Congress.
He was elected to the U. House of Representatives in with 52 percent of the vote. He was re-elected every term thereafter by wide margins. In , he publicly came out as gay , becoming the first member of Congress to do so voluntarily. From until his retirement, Frank was the leading Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, and he served as committee chairman when his party held a House majority from to In July , he married his long-time partner, James Ready, becoming the first member of Congress to marry someone of the same sex while in office.
Prior to his time in the House of Representatives, Frank served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from to He graduated in Frank's undergraduate studies were interrupted by the death of his father, and Frank took a year off to help resolve the family's affairs prior to his graduation.
In , Frank graduated from Harvard Law School , where he was once a student of Henry Kissinger , [ 21 ] while serving as a Massachusetts state representative.
In , Frank was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives where he served for eight years. Neighborhoods in Frank's district bordered the Combat Zone. As a means of dealing with crime in the area including violence, police corruption and the infiltration by organized crime , he introduced a bill into the Massachusetts General Court that would have legalized the sex-for-hire business but kept it quarantined in a red light district, which would have been moved to Boston's Financial District.
