James Sutherland Frame was born in New York City on December 24, 1907 to James Everrett Frame and Jean Herring Loomis. He attended Harvard University, where he received his B.A. (1929), M.A. (1930) and a Ph.D. in mathematics (1933). He taught at Brown University and Allegheny College before coming to Michigan State University in 1943 as Chair of the Department of Mathematics, in which capacity he served until 1960. Along with his position in Mathematics, he also had an appointment in Engineering. Frame retired from MSU in 1977 with the honorific, professor emeritus of mathematics.

He founded the first chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, a mathematics organization for undergraduates, at MSU, and was active in making it a national organization, with numerous chapters established at many other colleges and universities. He was also active with Phi Beta kappa, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi, Tau Beta Pi, American mathematical Society, Mathematical Association of America, and the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters.

In 1994, he was awarded the Association’s Yueh-Gin Gung and Dr. Charles Y. Hu Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics. He received the MSU Distinguished Faculty Award in 1967. Professor Frame was an internationally acclaimed research mathematician with over 100 publications, many of which dealt with the representation theory of finite groups. He was also an active member of the East Lansing community, serving a term on the Board of Education.

He married Emily Boyce and they had 4 children.

He died in 1997.