BIOGRAPHY 

Chief Justice Henry E. Frye is a native of Ellerbe in Richmond County. He graduated as valedictorian from Mineral Springs High School in Ellerbe, and Summa Cum Laude from North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, with a major in biology and a double minor in chemistry and air science. He also graduated with honors from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law.

Frye was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force Reserve and later became Captain. He served as an Ammunition Officer in Japan and Korea.

Frye was the organizer and President of Greensboro National Bank, Greensboro. He practiced law in Greensboro for 21 years and was admitted to the Federal District, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

Frye holds an impressive list of firsts for the state. For instance, in 1968, he became the first African-American to serve in the North Carolina House of Representatives in the Twentieth Century. He later gained a seat in the North Carolina Senate.

In 1983, Frye became the first African-American to serve on the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Then in September 1999, he was appointed by Governor Jim Hunt to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, another first.

Frye's distinguished service to North Carolina has brought him commendations and awards from organizations across the state. For instance, he received the UNC-Chapel Hill's Distinguished Alumnus Award and the North Carolina A&T State University Alumni Excellence Award. He received the Doctor of Laws from both Shaw University and North Carolina A&T. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro presented him the Charles D. McIver Medal.

The Junior Achievement of Central North Carolina named Frye to the Greensboro Business Leaders Hall of Fame. He was awarded the R.R. Wright Award by the National Bankers Association for consistent and progressive leadership in community and economic development.

Frye was also named the Lawyer of the Year by the Association of Black Lawyers and later received the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers' Appellate Judges Award. Frye is a past chairman of the Board of the American Judicature Society.

The National Conference of Christians and Jews presented him the Brotherhood Award, and the North Carolina NAACP chose him to receive its Kelly M. Alexander Humanitarian Award.

Chief Justice Frye is a deacon and former Sunday school teacher at Providence Baptist Church, Greensboro. He is married to Shirley T. Frye, and they have two sons, Judge Henry E. Frye, Jr., and Harlan Frye.