Charles E. Fraser
| Charles E. Fraser | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Charles Elbert Fraser June 13, 1929 Hinesville, Georgia |
| Died | December 15, 2002 (aged 73) Providenciales, Turks and Caicos |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Projects |
Sea Pines Plantation Wintergreen Resort Amelia Island Plantation Kiawah Island Resort |
Charles Elbert Fraser (June 13, 1929 – December 15, 2002) was an American real estate developer whose vision helped transform South Carolina's Hilton Head Island from a sparsely populated sea island into a world-class resort. He graduated from the University of Georgia and Yale Law School. Through his company, Sea Pines Company, he developed Sea Pines Plantation, Amelia Island Plantation, and Kiawah Island Resort, among several other master planned communities. Fraser died in 2002 at the age of 73 in a tragic boat explosion in the Turks & Caicos Islands while on a consulting project.
Fraser was born to Joseph Bacon Fraser and Peal Collins Fraser in Hinesville, Georgia on June 13, 1929. He was preceded by his older brother, Joseph Bacon Fraser, Jr, who would later become his business partner with Sea Pines. Charles's father, Joseph, was a prominent Hinesville figure, a U.S. Army veteran of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, last serving as Major General, commanding the 48th Armored Division of Georgia and Florida Army National Guard before retiring a Lieutenant General in 1956. More importantly for the start of Charles's career, his father was active in the timber industry as head of the Fraser Lumber Company and the Fraser Supply Company.
In 1946 Charles enrolled at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina and attended until 1948, when he transferred to the University of Georgia.
In 1949, while Charles was at the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, a group of lumber associates from Hinesville, Georgia, bought a total of 20,000 acres of pine forest on Hilton Head's southern end for an average of nearly $60 an acre. They formed The Hilton Head Company to handle the timber operation. The associates were Gen. Joseph B. Fraser, Fred C. Hack, Olin T. McIntosh, and C.C. Stebbins. Charles's brother Joe, Jr was sent by their father to undeveloped Hilton Head Island to cruise and estimate the timber value, setting up camp on Calibogue Cay off the south end of the island.
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