Gary Franks

Gary Alvin Franks (born February 9, 1953) is an American politician who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut for six years, from 1991 until 1997. He is the first African-American elected to the U.S. Congress from Connecticut, the first modern black conservative elected to the House of Representatives, and the first black Republican elected since Oscar De Priest's re-election in 1932. Franks ran for the United States Senate in 1998, losing to incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Dodd in a landslide. He currently hosts a podcast called We Speak Frankly, with his son Gary. He also writes for the Boston Herald.

Franks was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He is one of six children of a brass mill worker and a hospital dietary aide. He was elected president of his class at Sacred Heart High School.

Franks received his Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in 1975. He was captain of the basketball team and a free agent for the New Orleans Jazz NBA team.

After Yale, Franks worked in labor relations for 10 years at Continental Can Co., Chesebrough-Pond's Inc. and Cadbury Schweppes PLC.

Franks served as a member of the Waterbury board of aldermen from 1986 to 1990. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Comptroller of Connecticut in 1986.

In his 1990 election, Franks defeated former 6th District congressman Toby Moffett, whom Franks portrayed as too liberal to represent the district. Both President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush campaigned for Franks.

Franks was the first African-American Republican elected to the House since Oscar Stanton De Priest, last elected from Chicago's South Side in 1932. A second African-American Republican member of the U.S. House, J. C. Watts from Oklahoma, also served during the 1990s.

In 1992, Franks won in a three-way election against Democratic candidate James Lawlor from Waterbury and A Connecticut Party candidate Lynn Taborsak from Danbury.