Law School Class Day Speaker: U.S. Representative Barney Frank '61

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank '61 (D-Mass.) likes to "speak frankly."

On Capitol Hill, he is a model of legislative acumen and fiery oratory. But his caustic nature and liberal tendencies make him as controversial as he is esteemed.

"I think he's a genius," says Joe Ventrome, staff director for the Republican Housing Committee. "He's one of the brightest members of Congress and as a legislator, he is one of the most effective on the Democractic side."

But, his "downfall," says Ventrome, is his tendency to be impatient "and his impatience can be construed as rude."

Frank, 52, has been extremely successful in Congress because he has established a reputation as a hard worker who always does his "homework."

But for someone who says politics has always been his ruling passion, the road to becoming a politician has been circuitous.

Frank spent many years as an academic before entering public service. The 1957 graduate of Bayo High School in Bayo, New Jersey enrolled in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences soon after graduating from the College.

While he sought a Ph.D. in government, he was teaching fellow for government, general education and social science courses as well as assistant senior tutor at Winthrop House.

By this time, Frank says, he realized he was more interested in politics than in academic life.

"I've always been interested in politics," he says. "I realized that I was better adapted to politics than to academics."

But Frank says he was nonetheless surprised when then-Boston mayor Kevin White offered him his first job in politics.

"In college I was a part of the Young Democrats Club and I thought about volunteering," Frank says. "But I didn't think about it as a career."

After spending three years as White's executive assistant, Frank says he was sure that his "temperament" was better suited to politics than academics. Yet, Frank returned to Harvard in January 1971 to complete his thesis.

Frank was again steered away from his studies when, later that year he took a leave of absence to work as Administrative Assistant to U.S. Rep. Michael Harrington (D-Mass).

By 1972 Frank had an impressive resume, but he says friends had to persuade him to campaign for an empty seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

"I didn't think I was a good candidate," Frank says. "But even though its usually a disadvantage to be from another state, in Beacon Hill everyone is from somewhere else, so it didn't hurt me."

Two years in the state House, however, made him realize he needed law school experience to be an effective politician. Frank returned to Cambridge in 1974, this time to enter the Law School's hallowed halls.

"I was probably the oldest one there," he says. "But I was going to be making laws. And as long as I was going to do it, I might as well do it well."

Political Career

And Frank's Law School experiences led him directly to Capitol Hill, where he has served ever since. But his time in the House has not been without its trials and tribulations.

In 1989 it appeared his career might be over when certain details of his personal life became public.

Frank admitted to having had a sexual relationship with male prostitute Steven Gobie, whom he then hired as a personal aide and driver, paying him out of personal funds.

Frank told the media that he had ended the relationship as soon as Gobie became his aide, and had subsequently fired him when learned Gobie was using his apartment for prostitution.

The allegations set off a 10-month investigation by the House Ethics Committee which resulted in a 408-18 House vote to reprimand Frank for ethical transgresions.

Although Frank did not emerge from the scandal unscathed, he says the reputation he earned through the years eventually offset the public's further doubts and criticisms.

"I did things I shouldn't have done...the terrible mistakes I made were a result of my coming out." he says. "But even people that were most critical confined it to my private life."

Frank has always been a promoter of gay rights, but his coming out made him a more powerful spokesperson for the homosexual community.

"My personal relationships and my being openly a homosexual enhances it [my support for gay rights]," Frank says. "Having lived as a gay man in America, I have a degree of knowledge about the responsability [of this nation towards homosexuals]."

In the past, Frank has spoken at Harvard about the need for gay rights in the military. But he says he understands the dilemma the University is facing on the issue of the Reserve Officers Training Corps, which denies gays and lesbians the opportunity to participate in the financial aid for military service program.

"The University has a right to say what it wants," Frank says. "But it's difficult if you come here and need help and can't get it."

But Frank's greatest contribution to the House has been his work on the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, and especially on the Housing sub-committee. He has been an eager proponent of affordable housing for the poor, elderly and handicapped.

Recently, he has been lobbying for a "mixed populations" bill that will separate the public housing allotted to the elderly and the handicapped.

As a promoter of affordable public housing, Frank is often quite unpopular in Congress, and has faced considerable opposition in his efforts to divert money from such things as space development to housing.

On the floor the House last June, Frank argued against an amendment to allocate $250 million to a space station. Frank said the monies could be better used to fund new public housing projects for the poor.

"We are not even talking about the quality of life, because we do not give them that. We are not talking about quality; we are talking about bare necessities," he said.

But Frank is far too busy and principled to worry about any unpopularity he may have in the House. He is unexhaustively on the offense, mostly against those who don't agree with him.

"Republicans are able to play on the people's morals." he says. "Democrats are obsessed without wanting to [be] and are more vulnerable as a result."

Frank muses about the future of American politics and the disturbing trend of politicians appropriating the "outsider" image to obtain popularity.

"If Jerry Brown is an outsider, I'm a rap singer," says Frank. "He's a career politician who thought it was good idea to look like an outsider."

But the fascination with outsiders is a trend that means "people are angry. Anger is is reasonable, but it should be targeted at substance not at the procedural," he says.

Frank has every intention of carrying his political career as far as he can. Says Frank, "If I'm lucky, I'll stay where I am."