Hon. William Fraser, of Fraserfield (19 November 1691 – 23 March 1727)
was a Scottish Jacobitism, Jacobite politician.
He was the second of the two sons of William Fraser, 12th Lord Saltoun (1654–1715) and his wife Margaret (died 1734), daughter of James Sharp (bishop), James Sharp,
the Archbishop of St Andrews who was murdered by Scottish Covenanters in 1679. Fraser was admitted as an advocate in 1713,
and in 1724 he married Lady Katherine Anne Erskine, daughter of the David Erskine, 9th Earl of Buchan, 9th Earl of Buchan.
They had one son, William Fraser (1725–1788).
Fraser took part in the Jacobite rising of 1715, but was later pardoned.
In 1721 he bought the estate of Balgownie (near Aberdeen) from Lord Gray, and called it Fraserfield.
At the 1722 British general election, 1722 general election, Fraser was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Elgin Burghs (UK Parliament constituency), Elgin Burghs.
However, this was the second successive election in which two rival delegates had claimed to represent one of the burghs, and both votes had been counted. In 1715, the election petition was promptly resolved against the returned Jacobite James Murray (Jacobite Earl of Dunbar), James Murray, and the pro-government John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll, John Campbell seated in his place.
When the House of Commons of Great Britain, House of Commons debated Campbell's petition against Fraser in October 1722, it was expected to similarly oust the Jacobite. However, Fraser's maiden speech was so effective that he won enough support for Campbell's allies not to press the motion. Instead, the petition was referred to the elections committee, who in January 1725 gave the seat to Campbell.
In April that year Fraser unsuccessfully contested the by-election in Linlithgow Burghs (UK Parliament constituency), Linlithgow Burghs following the death of Daniel Weir (MP), Daniel Weir. His petition against the result was rejected.
References
1691 births
1727 deaths
Nobility from Aberdeenshire
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies
British MPs 1722–1727
People of the Jacobite rising of 1715
Members of the Faculty of Advocates
Younger sons of barons
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