James S. Frazer

James Somerville Frazer (July 17, 1824 – February 20, 1893) was an American politician, lawyer, and judge who served in the Indiana House of Representatives and as a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from January 3, 1865 to January 3, 1871. Frazer also worked for the Grant administration to help adjust claims made by various parties against the U.S. during the Civil War (most notably the Alabama Claims made by the United Kingdom). Frazer was considered by President Ulysses S. Grant as a potential nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. Biography Early life, education, and career Born in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania to a family of Scottish descent, Frazer's mother died when he was just two years old. In 1837, Frazer moved with his father to Wayne County, Indiana. He began studying law in Winchester at the office of Moorman Way, a local judge. Frazer also taught school to help cover expenses. After being admitted to the bar in 1845, Frazer opened a law office in Warsaw. He served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1847 to 1848. In 1852, Frazer was elected prosecuting attorney of his local circuit court. He would return to the General Assembly for a final term in 1855, chairing the House education committee, which drafted a new education bill that allowed townships to levy taxes to pay for school buildings.