Frye became an assistant U.S. Attorney in 1963, one of the first African-Americans to hold such a position in the South. Five years later, when Frye was elected to the North Carolina General Assembly as a state representative in 1968, he was the only black North Carolina legislator, and the first elected in the 20th century. No other African American had been elected to this position since 1889, which was John E. Hussey who represented the county of Craven, North Carolina. Frye helped eliminate the vestiges of Jim Crow from North Carolina law. He was re-elected several times to the state House, serving until 1980, and served one term in the state Senate from 1981 to 1982. During this time, he was also an instructor at North Carolina Central University's law school.