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