Frazier << FRAY zhuhr >>, Edward Franklin (1894-1962), was an African American sociologist. He became a leading authority on Black life in the United States. Frazier’s writings prompted studies of how such forces as slavery and the prejudices of white people affected the Black family. His best-known book is The Negro Family in the United States (1939).
Frazier was born on Sept. 24, 1894, in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Howard University and Clark University before earning a Ph.D. degree from the University of Chicago in 1931. Frazier taught at several schools from 1916 to 1934. He headed the sociology department at Howard University from 1934 to 1959. Frazier served as president of the American Sociological Society in 1948. He died on May 17, 1962.
Frazier’s other books include The Free Negro Family (1932), The Negro in the United States (1949), Black Bourgeoisie (1957), and The Negro Church in America (published in 1964, after his death).
