John B. Frazier

John Brown Frazier (December 19, 1870[1] – November 11, 1939)[2] was a United States Navy officer who served as the 1st Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy from 1917 to 1921.[3] In this capacity, together with Julian E. Yates of the United States Army, he edited The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920).[4]

John Brown Frazier
Born	December 19, 1870 Wytheville, Virginia, U.S.
Died	November 11, 1939 (aged 68) Keswick, Virginia, U.S.
Resting Place	Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1895–1925
Rank	Captain
Battles/wars	Spanish–American War World War I

Frazier was born in Wytheville, Virginia[5] in 1870.[1] Trained as a Southern Methodist minister,[6] he joined the Navy on March 2, 1895 in Tennessee[7][8] and was commissioned in the Chaplain Corps on May 25, 1895.[1] Frazier was assigned as chaplain to the crew of the USS Olympia on July 19, 1895.[7] He continued to serve aboard the Olympia for three years, including the May 1, 1898 Battle of Manila Bay where she served as Commodore George Dewey's flagship. Frazier was reassigned to the training ship USS Adams on November 12, 1898.[8]

Frazier was promoted to captain on June 30, 1914.[1][9] As Chief of Chaplains, he supervised an increase in active-duty chaplains from 40 to 203 during World War I.[6] After serving as Chief of Chaplains, he was assigned as chaplain for the naval training station at Hampton Roads, Virginia on December 1, 1921.[1] Frazier retired from the Navy on September 10, 1925.[9]

Frazier died at his home in Keswick, Virginia in 1939.[5] He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery[2] along with his wife Catherine Bowles Cook Frazier (February 27, 1878[10] – November 11, 1933).[11]

References

1. Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. January 1, 1925. pp. 216–217. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
2. "Frazier, John B". ANCExplorer. U.S. Army. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
3. Navy Chiefs of Chaplains Roster List.
4. Available on Wikisource. Frazier, John B.; Yates, Julian E. (1920). The Army and Navy Hymnal. The Century Co. (New York).
5. "Virginia Deaths, 1912-2014". No. 24286. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Department of Health. 1939. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
6. Martin, H. Lawrence (1982). "The Chiefs of Chaplains". Navy Chaplains Bulletin. Vol. III no. 3. p. 12. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
7. Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. January 1, 1898. p. 52. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
8. Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. January 1, 1899. p. 52. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
9. Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. January 1, 1926. p. 356. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
10. "Virginia Deaths, 1912-2014". No. 25797. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Department of Health. 1933. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
11. "Frazier, Catherine C". ANCExplorer. U.S. Army. Retrieved December 29, 2020.