Barney Frank to wed same-sex partner in Mass.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) before a news conference in Newton, Massachusetts on Nov. 28. Photo by REUTERS/Adam Hunger

Barney Frank, a 16-term U.S. congressman from Massachusetts, plans to marry his partner, his office said on Thursday.

Frank, 71, who announced his decision to retirement from the House of Representatives late last year, will marry partner Jim Ready in a ceremony in Massachusetts, spokesman Harry Gural said. Frank is a Democrat.

Massachusetts was the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004.

No other details on the date or location were being released at this time.

Elected to the House of Representatives in 1980, Frank was one of the first openly gay politicians to serve in office at a national level in the United States.

Reporting By Lauren Keiper; Editing by Paul Thomsach and Will Dunham