Edward Franklin Frazier, was an American sociologist and author, publishing as E. Franklin Frazier. Frazier’s 1932 PhD dissertation was published as a book titled The Negro Family in the United States; it analyzed the historical forces that influenced the development of the African-American family from the time of slavery to the mid-1930s.

Frazier was born September 24, 1894 in Baltimore, Maryland. Upon his graduation from Colored High School, Baltimore (June 1912), he was awarded, the School’s annual scholarship to Howard University.

After completing his studies, he worked as a teacher. He taught a various subjects at several schools, including math at the Tuskegee Institute for a year. Wanting to continue his education, he enrolled at Clark University, on a scholarship, and earned a master’s degree in sociology in 1920. Seven years later, while employed as a sociology instructor at Morehouse College in Atlanta Georgia, he published his first major work in his field, the essay “The Pathology of Race and Prejudice. In this essay, Frazier made the argument that racism was a form of insanity. The thesis drew a lot of attention and controversy which led to Frazier having to resign his position at the college.

Frazier continued to teach and publish. He received a fellowship at the University of Chicago, where he completed his PhD in 1931 and published his thesis, The Negro Family in Chicago, in 1932. Many have considered this work to be groundbreaking text in the field of sociology.  Frazier is also recognized for his 1957 book Black Bourgeoisie, which was about the African American middle class.

source:

https://www.biography.com/people/e-franklin-frazier-38903