Frazer, Persifor, 1844-1909

Persifor Frazer was a geologist and mineralogist.

From the description of Papers, 1884. (American Philosophical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 122632840

Persifor Frazer (1844–1909, APS 1872) was a geologist and handwriting expert. He participated in geological surveys for the United States and for Pennsylvania and, after 1870, held the chair in chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. He also published a manual on handwriting and, as a specialist in the identification of forged documents, served as an expert witness in several high profile trials. Persifor Frazer, also known as Persifor, Jr., was the only son of the Philadelphia scientist and educator John Fries Frazer (1812–1872, APS 1842) and his wife Charlotte Cave Frazer. He attended private schools before enrolling at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving his B.A. in 1862.

Frazer enlisted in the Union Army at the beginning of the Civil War. He served in the United States Coast Survey and was assigned to a South Atlantic squadron under Samuel F. DuPont (1803-1865, APS 1862). Later, he volunteered to fight in the Gettysburg campaign; and in 1864 became the acting ensign attached to the Mississippi Squadron. In 1865, after his honorable discharge, Frazer was granted a semi-honorary A.M. degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Frazer studied chemistry in Philadelphia for six months before enrolling in the Royal Saxon School of Mines in Freiburg, Germany. He remained there for three years, focusing on the study of mineralogy and related subjects. In 1869 he was selected to serve as mineralogist and metallurgist to the United States Geological Survey, led by Ferdinand V. Hayden. In this capacity, he completed a report on Mining and Mineralogy of Colorado and Wyoming. In 1870 he became an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania; the next year he succeeded his father as Professor of Chemistry.

In 1874 Frazer resigned from his faculty position to join the Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania, under the leadership of J. Peter Lesley (1819-1903, APS 1856). During his eight years with the Survey, he published a highly regarded report primarily on the southeastern counties of the state. In 1881 Frazer was the General Manager of the Central Virginia Iron Company. He was a founder of the American Geologist which he edited from 1888 to 1905. In 1889 he accepted an appointment as Professor of Chemistry of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Two years later he became the Chair of Chemistry at the Franklin Institute. Frazer was a member of the American committee at the International Congress of Geologists three times: in Berlin (1885), London (1888), and St. Petersburg (1897). He also worked as a consulting metallurgist, geologist and mining engineer. In this capacity he traveled to different places in North America and abroad.

In later years, Frazer turned his attention to the study of handwriting, and soon became a widely respected expert in the field. In the course of his studies, he visited Aphonse Bertillon, the eminent French police officer and biometrics researcher. In 1894 Frazer published the highly regarded book A Manual for the Study of Documents (later re-titled Bibliotics; or, the Study of Documents … ), which was intended to assist in the detection of forged handwriting. His main contribution to the field consisted in his recognition that fine tremors in handwriting could be detected under a microscope, and that these tremors were linked to the nerve state of the writer. A close comparison of tremors in different writing samples could help detect forgeries. Frazer’s expertise soon attracted the attention of lawyers. He was asked to serve as an expert witness in several high-profile trials, such as the 1899 murder trial of Roland B. Molineux of New York City. Based on his experiences in these trials, including his dismissal from a case for his refusal to swear to his belief in the existence of God, Frazer wrote the article "Expert Testimony: Its Uses and Abuses" (1902). In it he attacked the ways in which expert witnesses were generally treated by judges on the bench. The City of Philadelphia awarded him the John Scott Medal in 1906 for his invention of the colorimeter which measured the intensity and color value of ink in handwriting.

Frazer's scholarly output numbered around 300 titles. He also belonged to numerous learned and patriotic organizations. He was a founder of the Society of American Geologists and the Franklin Institute Journal . Other affiliations include, but are not limited to, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Society of American Geologists, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, the General and Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution, the Society of the War of 1812, the Society of Colonial Wars of Pennsylvania, the British Association for the Advancement of Science, the New York Academy of Science, and the Reichsanstalt of Vienna. He became a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1872, serving as its secretary from 1896 to 1898.

Persifor Frazer was married to Isabella Nevins Whelen. They had four children, three of whom lived to adulthood. He died on April 7, 1909, the day that the Pennsylvania State Senate passed a bill that allowed agnostics to testify as competent witnesses on affirmation.

From the guide to the Persifor Frazer papers, 1882-1906, 1882-1906, (American Philosophical Society)