John H. Fraine

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John H. Fraine
1909 black and white head and shoulders photo of John H. Fraine in suit and tie, facing to his left, looking towards camera
State Historical Society of North Dakota photo, c. 1909
10th Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota
In office
1915–1917
Preceded byAnton T. Kraabel
Succeeded byAnton T. Kraabel
13th Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives
In office
1913–1915
Preceded byJames M. Hanley
Succeeded byAlfred P. Hanson
Member of the North Dakota House of Representatives
In office
1909–1915
Serving with Jacob Nelson (1909–1913)
Preceded byK. O. Brotnov, Tobias D. Casey
Succeeded bySever Tallack
Constituency4th district
Personal details
Born(1861-09-07)September 7, 1861
Sheffield, England
DiedMay 15, 1943(1943-05-15) (aged 81)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Resting placeLakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMarian Robinson (m. 1882)
Children1
ProfessionAttorney
Military service
ServiceUnited States Army
Years of service1885–1933
RankColonel (National Guard)
Brigadier General (Retired list)
UnitNorth Dakota National Guard
CommandsCompany C, 1st North Dakota Infantry Regiment
2nd Battalion, 1st North Dakota Infantry Regiment
1st North Dakota Infantry Regiment
164th Infantry Regiment
82nd Infantry Brigade
ConflictsSpanish–American War
Philippine–American War
Mexican Border War
World War I
Occupation of the Rhineland
AwardsSilver Star


John H. Fraine (September 7, 1861 – May 15, 1943) was a North Dakota Republican Party politician who served as the tenth Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota under Governor L. B. Hanna. Fraine also served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1909 to 1915, and as speaker of the house from 1913 to 1915.

Early life[edit]

John Henry Fraine was born in Sheffield, England, September 7, 1861.[1] In 1866, the Fraine family moved to Brooklyn, and soon after moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, where Fraine was raised and educated.[1] Fraine moved to Grafton, North Dakota in 1885, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in May 1891.[1] He then practiced in partnership with O. E. Sauter, an arrangement that continued until Sauter became a judge, after which Fraine practiced alone.[1]

Start of career[edit]

Fraine joined the North Dakota National Guard in 1885 as a private in Company C, 1st North Dakota Infantry Regiment.[1] He advanced through the enlisted grades to become the company's first sergeant, and in 1891, he became the company commander and received his commission as a captain.[1] At the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in 1898, he was commissioned as a captain of United States Volunteers when Company C was federalized.[1] He served in the Philippines for 17 months during the Philippine–American War and was promoted to major commanding the regiment's 2nd Battalion.[1] During the war, he participated in 24 engagements.[1] Fraine's regiment served under General Henry Ware Lawton in three battles, and after one of them, Lawton commended the unit by commenting "You can not stampede the 1st North Dakota".[1]

In 1900, Fraine returned to practicing law and serving with the National Guard.[1] He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant colonel.[1] A Republican, he was a member of the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1909 to 1915.[1] From 1913 to 1915, he was speaker of the house.[1] In 1914, he was elected lieutenant governor, an office he held for one term, 1915 to 1917.[1] Fraine served on active military duty again in 1916 during the Mexican Border War.[1]

Continued career[edit]

By the outbreak of World War I he was colonel and commander of the 1st North Dakota.[1] At the outbreak of the war, he mobilized the regiment and led it during its training at Camp Greene, North Carolina.[1] In December, 1917, the regiment sailed for Europe and it landed in England on Christmas Eve.[1] The regiment, now redesignated as the 164th Infantry, a unit of the 41st Division subsequently moved to France, where Fraine served as interim commander of the division's 82nd Infantry Brigade on several occasions.[2] He was later assigned to civil affairs staff duty with U.S. VII Corps.[3]

Fraine continued to serve on the corps staff until the Armistice of November 11, 1918 ended the war, and he continued to serve in Wittlich during the post-war occupation of Germany.[1] In July, 1919, Fraine was discharged and returned to North Dakota, where he continued to practice law.[1] In December 1924, Fraine received the Citation Star for heroism in combat during the Philippine–American War.[4] When the Silver Star award was created in 1932, Fraine's Citation Star was converted to the new medal.[5] He continued to serve with the National Guard until 1933,[6] and was promoted to brigadier general on the retired list in recognition of his 48 years of superior service.[7]

Personal[edit]

In 1882, Fraine married to Marian Robinson of Massachusetts.[1] They were the parents of a son, John R. Fraine, who was employed by the Republic Steel Corporation in Chicago.[1]

Fraine was a Freemason and served as grand high priest of North Dakota's Royal Arch Masons and grand commander of the state's Knights Templar.[1] He was also an active member of the Episcopal Church.[1]

During the later part of his career, Fraine served as legal advisor to the head of the Minneapolis Veterans Administration office.[8] After a period of ill health, Fraine died at the Veterans Administration hospital in Minneapolis on May 15, 1943.[1] His funeral took place at St. John's Episcopal church in Minneapolis.[1] He was buried at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.[1]

Legacy[edit]

1945, the governor named the North Dakota National Guard headquarters Fraine Barracks as a commendation of Fraine's exemplary military career.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Committee On Memorials: John H. Fraine (1944). "Report of Committee on Memorials". North Dakota Law Review. Bismarck, ND: North Dakota State Bar Association. pp. 124–125.
  2. ^ Center of Military History, United States Army (1988) [1931]. Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces In the World War. Vol. 2. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 262 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b Sunwall, Christina (March 10, 2008). "Dakota Datebook Archive: Fraine Barracks". Prairie Public NewsRoom. Fargo, ND.
  4. ^ Jenks, John E., ed. (February 14, 1925). "Silver Star Citations". Army and Navy Register. Washington, DC. p. 157 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Silver Star Offered For Gallantry". Belleville News-Democrat. Belleville, IL. August 27, 1932. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Capt. Franks of Grand Forks Is Paymaster". Mandan Pioneer. Mandan, ND. Associated Press. May 2, 1933. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Remele, Larry (1997). American Legislative Leaders in the Midwest, 1911–1994. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. pp. 109–110. ISBN 978-0-3130-3207-3 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Gen. Fraine Died Saturday". Mandan Pioneer. Mandan, ND. May 17, 1943. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota
1915–1917 		Succeeded by
Anton T. Kraabel
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