Chelsea Curtis Fraser

Chelsea Curtis Fraser (August 28, 1876 – November 7, 1954) was a Canadian-born American high school industrial arts teacher, prolific author of nonfiction books for children and visual artist from Saginaw, Michigan. He was born in New Sarum, Ontario, Canada, to Oliver L. Fraser and Emma Atherton Fraser. His family later moved to the United States and resided in Saginaw, Michigan, where he graduated from high school. He later attended Michigan State College in East Lansing, Michigan, and the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. At different points in his career, he worked as a messenger for the Western Union Telegraph Company in 1892; as a musical instruments inlayer from 1893 to 1899, for Montgomery Ward & Company from 1900 to 1902, as a mandolin and guitar maker in Kalamazoo, Michigan, from 1904 to 1905, in advertising for the Saginaw Milling Company from 1906 to 1907, as a furniture inspector for the War Department from 1909 to 1911, and as an industrial arts instructor for the Grand Rapids, Michigan school district from 1913 to 1931. He published 23 nonfiction books for children and several nonfiction magazine articles between 1911 and 1950. He created many of the illustrations for his books and articles. He never married and had no children. He died on November 7, 1954, in Saginaw, Michigan.