Thomas Fraser (27 December 1807 – 24 June 1891) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

, New Zealand. Fraser was born in

Inverness-shire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in populatio ...

; his father was Captain Thomas Fraser. He joined the East India Company at age 16 as a member of the 7th Bengal Cavalry. He held the rank of captain at his retirement in 1842 and went to live in France for some time. He came to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

in New Zealand on the ''Oliver Lang'' on 18 September 1858. In Otago, Fraser settled on a sheep station in the Shag Valley; located off what is now State Highway 85 roughly half-way between

Dunback Dunback, formerly Waihemo, is a small town in the Otago region of New Zealand. It is located between Palmerston and Ranfurly on Highway 85. It has a population of about 200 people. Most of these people live in the rural areas near the town. ...

and

Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqua ...

. Fraser represented the Hampden electorate from

1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first steam-p ...

to 1862, when he was vacated for absence. He was appointed onto the executive committee of the

Otago Provincial Council The Otago Province was a province of New Zealand until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. The capital of the province was Dunedin. Southland Province split from Otago in 1861, but became part of the province again in 1870. Area an ...

in 1868 and was deputy-superintendent under

James Macandrew James Macandrew (1819(?) – 25 February 1887) was a New Zealand ship-owner and politician. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1853 to 1887 and as the last Superintendent of Otago Province. Early life Macandrew was born in Scotland, prob ...

. He was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1870, which he held until he died on 24 June 1891. His son, John F. M. Fraser, married a daughter of

Richard Davies Ireland Richard Davies Ireland (27 October 1815 – 11 January 1877) was an Australian politician, a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly and Attorney-General. Ireland was born in Galway, educated at Trinity College Dublin (B.A., 1837) and wa ...

Q.C. of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

References

1807 births 1891 deaths Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates 19th-century New Zealand politicians Members of Otago provincial executive councils {{NewZealand-politician-stub