Although the 4th Massachusetts Congressional District does not include Cambridge, representative Barney Frank spent a considerable amount of time addressing the city’s concerns as part of his broader legislative aims. Born and raised in New Jersey, Frank had come to Cambridge to attend Harvard University, earning his undergraduate degree in 1962 and his law degree in 1977. In 1968, Frank started his political career as chief assistant to Boston mayor Kevin White; following this, he served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1972-1980 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1980-2013. Throughout this time, Frank was allied closely with much of the Cambridge community on issues such as care for the elderly, housing and finance reform, appearing frequently at events and demonstrations in the city and lending his support to local candidates.
Frank first appeared in the Cambridge papers in February 1969, when the Chronicle reported that he would be speaking at a meeting of the Radcliffe Club of Boston alongside the likes of the club’s president and the editor of The Boston Globe. Frank again spoke to the club the next year, when the Chronicle noted that he “is famous among former Radcliffe and Harvard students as a dynamic teacher, deeply committed to personal involvement in the affairs of government.” Frank’s time as a Harvard student and later as an undergraduate instructor had earned him a reputation as a dedicated advocate for citizen activism.
Over the next several decades, Frank appeared frequently at rallies and meetings in Cambridge focused on constituent issues such as Medicare and welfare reforms, gun safety, abortion rights and campaign finance rules. Although Frank, a gay man, did not come out publicly until 1987, his sexuality was long an open secret, and in 1978 he taught a course at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education on “The Gay Experience.” Described by the Cambridge Rambler as “a workshop deal[ing] with the realities of being gay in today’s society [with] emphasis on the special recreational, vocational, health, counseling and pastoral services now available to gay persons,” Frank’s course was – much like himself – practical, no-nonsense and devoid of the moral judgment surrounding homosexuality in the late-1970s era of Christian conservatism.
In addition to his appearances in Cambridge for issues-based discussions, Frank also lent his support and endorsement to a number of local candidates, both for city-specific offices such as the City Council and for statewide contests; in 1978, Frank endorsed former Cambridge mayor Barbara Ackermann in her bid to replace Michael Dukakis as Massachusetts governor. Although her campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, Frank’s support proved an important catalyst for Ackermann to be taken seriously on the statewide level.
On the national level, much of Frank’s term in Congress was overseen by Cambridge’s own Thomas “Tip” O’Neill as Speaker of the House. Aligned on most issues and sharing a practical and personal approach to politics, Frank and O’Neill appeared frequently together in events in and around Cambridge, and having a political and regional ally in House leadership was instrumental in advancing the interests of Cantabrigians and other local residents. Frank’s funeral, set for June 8 at Faneuil Hall, is already being compared preemptively with O’Neill’s 1994 memorial.
O’Neill’s passing marked a shift in national politics and removed a valuable local ally for Frank, but the Congressman remained committed to issues facing Cambridge and its neighbors. In addition to the many town hall meetings, rallies and other gatherings that he attended, Frank continued his involvement with Harvard, speaking at events such as 2012’s Senior Class Day, where he emphasized the importance of civic engagement and political action by ordinary people. Frank’s unwavering support for liberal causes and his advocacy for those with little political power or clout made him, in the words of the Chronicle, “a friend to Cambridge,” one whose legacy will undoubtedly be remembered by many longtime Cantabrigians.
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