Sculptor, Architect. John Frazee received much acclaim as an American sculptor and architect of the early 19th century, who was a self-made professional, creating sculptors of the rich and famous of the United States, while documenting the nation's history. Born the son of a poor farmer, his childhood was hard and bitter. With little formal education, he began his art career carving names and dates in stone on grave markers. Working long hours and using the advice of learning something better than anyone else, the style of his names and dates became perfect, causing a demand for his work. His original innovations in lettering, unique motifs and intricate borders set him apart from others in his field. His simple tombstone business prospered. He was self-taught, reading books and practicing drawings of realistic sculptures. In a sense, he was a true American sculptor as he never studied in Europe. With his brother as his partner, he started a business in 1818 of making mantel pieces and small monuments. He is credited as being "the first American born sculptor to execute a bust in marble." In the early 1823 at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C, he created the monument for the fifth Vice President of the United States Elbridge Gerry, who became famous for the term, which is still used in the 21st century, of gerrymandering or not approving the redistricting of a voting precinct. In 1827 he created a self-bust of plaster, which is displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. He made the 1839 grave memorial with bas relief for Thomas Paine, author of "Common Sense." To name a couple of his most famous bust, he created one of John Jay, a signer of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783, ending the American Revolutionary War, and the French aristocrat, Marquis de La Fayette, who was a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. Lafayette's sculpture has since been lost. He was described in newspapers as a "genius." In his studio, he would hire young sculptors such as Robert E. Launitz, in 1828 and who became his partner in 1831. Although Frazee mentored the young Launitz, a non-English speaking immigrant from the Russian Empire, Launitz was a better salesman with his European aristocratic manners compared to Frazee becoming overconfident, proud and, at times, with the manners of an uneducated farmhand; this may have hindered receiving coveted commissions later in his career. By 1837, the partnership had resolved as Frazee was interested in architect. He was the first sculptor to be a charter member of the National Academy of Design. He had been the first American sculptor to receive patronage from the Federal Government. He designed the United States Custom House in New York City, which was finished in 1842. One of his most successful students was Thomas Gibson Crawford, who became well-known for artistic contributions to the United States Capitol, including the Statue of Freedom atop its dome. Historical preservationists have found Frazee's earliest grave stones have deteriorated, because it is difficult to protect them and keep them in their natural environment.