Born in Germany, George F. Frye arrived in Seattle in 1853 at the age of 20. Frye assisted Henry Yesler with the construction of his steam sawmill. Frye also became close friends with Arthur and Mary Denny, and in 1860 he married their 17-year-old daughter Louisa. Together, George and Louisa Frye ran Seattle's first meat market, opened the Frye Opera House, and invested in various real estate enterprises, among other business ventures. George Frye died in 1911, close to a year after he had opened the Louisa C. Frye Hotel, whose namesake continued to manage the hotel until her own death in 1924.

From 1870-1874, Frye first worked on and then captained a steam boat federally contracted to deliver mail throughout the Puget Sound area. This document certified George F. Frye as a "Master of steam vessels" and gave him authorization to operate within "Puget Sound and its tributaries." The certificate was issued on March 3rd, 1873 and was valid for one year.

Caption information sources: "Frye Hotel (Seattle)", Paul Dorpat, 02/20/2001, Historylink.org Essay 2988