John Fraser, FLS, F.R.H.S.,Johnson, George William, Johnson's Gardeners' dictionary and cultural instructor, London, A. T. De La Mare printing and publishing co., Ltd., 1916, title page and p. 361. . Accessed 31 July 2012. ''See also'':
Card, H.H.
A revision of Genus Frasera
''Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden'', April 1931, 18(2):245–282 at 245. Accessed 2 August 2012. (14 October 1750 – 26 April 1811) was a Scottish

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

who collected plant specimens around the world, from

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

and the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

and points between, with his primary career activity from 1780 to 1810.Brendel, Frederick
Historical Sketch of the Science of Botany in North America from 1635 to 1840
''The American Naturalist'', 13:12 (Dec. 1879), pp. 754–771, ''The University of Chicago Press''. Accessed 31 July 2012.Desmond, Ray (ed.), Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturalists, CRC Press, 1994, p. 263. .
Google book
) Accessed 31 July 2012.Faulkner, Thomas
John Fraser Obituary
in ''An historical and topographical description of Chelsea, and its environs'', v. 2, 1829, p. 41, (Google book). Accessed 31 July 2012. Fraser was a commissioned plant collector for Catherine, Czar of Russia in 1795,

Paul I of Russia Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he was fathered by her l ...

in 1798,The Old Market Gardens and Nurseries of London — No. 10
(52 MB file from archive.org) ''Journal of Horticulture, Cottage Gardner'' v. 57, 29 March 1877, pp. 112, 238, et al.. Accessed 31 July 2012. and for the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna in 1806;Hogg, Robert, Life of John Fraser, ''Cottage Gardener'', v. 8, 1851–2, pp. 250–252, as republished by Fraser, Don, , web page by the descendants of John Fraser, last update 21 September 2007. Accessed 31 July 2012. he issued nursery catalogues c. 1790 - 1796, and had an important

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (calle ...

that was eventually sold to the

Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

.Ward, Daniel B.
The Thomas Walter Herbarium Is Not the Herbarium of Thomas Walter
''Taxon'', 56(3):917–926, August 2007, at 917. Accessed 31 July 2012. The article attributes what was once thought of as Walter's herbarium to John Fraser.Simpson, Marcus B. Jr, Moran, Stephen W., and Simpson, Sallie, Biographical notes on John Fraser (1750–1811): plant nurseryman, explorer, and royal botanical collector to the Czar of Russia, ''Archives of Natural History'', v. 24, pp. 1–18, ISSN 0260-9541. , (fee-walled).

Family and early life

Family

Fraser was born during the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...

at Tomnacross,

the Aird The Aird (from the Scottish Gaelic: ''An Àird'' (IPA: �anˈaːɾʃt̪ meaning "The High Place") is an area of the County of Inverness, to the west of the City of Inverness. It is situated to the south of the River Beauly and the Beauly Firth, an ...

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 popula ...

on 14 October 1750. His father was Donald Fraser, (a.k.a. Donald Down, a

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

descriptive of hair colour traditional amongst the Scots Highlanders); his mother was Mary McLean, and his siblings included a brother James (b. 16 March 1753) and sister Christiana (b. 5 December 1756). Fraser's eldest son John Jr. (c. 1779–1852) continued in his father's footsteps as a plant hunter after Fraser's death and became a respected nurseryman in his own right (ALS 1848).Fraser, Don, , website by the descendants of John Fraser, last update 22 October 2007. Accessed 31 July 2012. John Jr. also owned the Hermitage Nursery at

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to the Census, there was a populati ...

(1817–1835) and when he retired he sold his nursery to William Curtis in 1835. John Jr. met with the celebrated American botanist

Asa Gray Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His ''Darwiniana'' was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually excl ...

in 1839, early on in Gray's career, and ultimately sold the Fraser herbarium to the Linnean Society in 1849. Fraser's younger son James Thomas directed the family nursery at Chelsea with his older brother until 1811 and then on his own until 1827. Fraser's grandson John became a member of the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

, attending meetings in 1877.

Early life

In 1770, five years before the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and coincident with Captain

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and ...

's discovery of the eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

n coast, Fraser arrived in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

as a young man to make his way in the city, at first following the trade of a hosier (a

draper Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. History Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period, ...

working with

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

). He soon came to know the

Chelsea Physic Garden The Chelsea Physic Garden was established as the Apothecaries' Garden in London, England, in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to grow plants to be used as medicines. This four acre physic garden, the term here referring to the sc ...

, and it was through his visits there that he became inspired with a desire to advance horticulture in England. He married Frances Shaw on 21 June 1778 and settled down in a small shop in Paradise Bow, Chelsea.

Starting out

Not long content with life in London, Fraser soon began to quit the mercantile counter as often as he could to watch the gardeners at work. He befriended William Forsyth who at that time had charge of the Apothecaries' Garden; through that acquaintance he would have become familiar with his predecessor

Mark Catesby Mark Catesby (24 March 1683 – 23 December 1749) was an English naturalist who studied the flora and fauna of the New World. Between 1729 and 1747 Catesby published his ''Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands'', the fi ...

's travels, as some of Catesby's specimens from his travels were housed at the Chelsea Physic Garden, and Catesby's writings and

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

s on the flora of the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

were also published by the time Fraser moved to London. Fraser took up botanical collecting and, two years after the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

had named itself, departed England for

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

in 1780 with Admiral Campbell. Upon returning to England, he sailed again in 1783 to explore the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

with his eldest son John Jr. Fraser's early expeditions were financed by

William Aiton William Aiton (17312 February 1793) was a Scottish botanist. Aiton was born near Hamilton. Having been regularly trained to the profession of a gardener, he travelled to London in 1754, and became assistant to Philip Miller, then superinten ...

of Kew Gardens, William Forsyth, and James Edward Smith of the Linnean Society. In the 1780s Fraser established the American Nursery at

Sloane Square Sloane Square is a small hard-landscaped square on the boundaries of the central London districts of Belgravia and Chelsea, located southwest of Charing Cross, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The area forms a boundary betwee ...

, King's Road, which his sons continued after his death in partnership from 1811–1817. The nursery was on the east side of the Royal Military School and extended over twelve acres.

Travels

As the 18th century came to a close, botanists who hunted plants afar were adventurers and explorers, John Fraser among them, fielding shipwrecks, sieges, slavery, pirates, escaped convicts and hostile natives. Fraser travelled extensively, from Scotland to England, the Americas, the West Indies, Russia, and points between. He began by collecting in Newfoundland from 1780 to 1783 or 1784,Ward, Daniel B.
Thomas Walter Typification Project, I. Observations On The John Fraser Folio
''J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas'' (formerly SIDA, Contributions to Botany ("SCB")) 22(2):1111–1118, 2006. Accessed 31 July 2012. and then moved on to the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. The ...

in eastern North America, all without the benefit of railroads or well-established highways. By the time he completed his journeys, John Fraser had introduced about 220 distinct species of plants from the Americas to Europe and beyond.

Appalachia and the Alleghenies

Fraser made his first trip to the American south, and specifically to

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

in 1783 or 1784,Loudon, J.C.
Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum
(53 MB file from archive.org), v. 1, 2nd ed., 1854, London, Henry G. Bohn, pp. 119–22, at 120. Accessed 31 July 2012. Full text and other formats available a
archive.org
sending home consignments of plants to a Frank Thorburn of Old Brompton. Returning to England in 1785 with the expectation of recompense for his labour and risk, he was astonished to learn that all the valuable plants he had forwarded were dead, and the survivors, which were common, could not be disposed of. Vexed, Fraser subsequently entered into a lawsuit over the matter, a suit long and very expensive to both parties, but sailed again for South Carolina in the autumn nonetheless. On his return trip that autumn he made his way north through Berkeley County to the

Santee River } The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, and is long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage for the coastal areas of southeastern South Carolina and navigation for the central coastal plain ...

, befriending Thomas Walter along the way.Rembert, David H. Jr.
The Botanical Explorations of William Bartram
, bartramtrail.org, 22 February 2012 (last update). Accessed 31 July 2012. He continued on to the Piedmont region of the Appalachians, discovering '' Phlox stolonifera'' (Creeping Phlox) in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

along the southeastern edge of the southern Blue Ridge, and in 1787 arrived in Pickens County near Chickamaua Cherokee land during the Cherokee–American wars. There he collected what became known later as '' Magnolia fraseri''. Fraser gave his contemporary

William Bartram William Bartram (April 20, 1739 – July 22, 1823) was an American botanist, ornithologist, natural historian and explorer. Bartram was the author of an acclaimed book, now known by the shortened title '' Bartram's Travels'', which chronicled ...

his original specimen of ''Magnolia fraseri''; the specimen is housed in the Walter Herbarium in the

British Museum of Natural History The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum ...

collection. The ''

Hortus Kewensis ''Hortus Kewensis, or a Catalogue of the Plants Cultivated in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew'' by William Aiton was a 1789 catalogue of all the plant species then in cultivation at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which constituted the vast majori ...

'' recorded 16 new plants as having been introduced by Fraser in 1786, and five more in 1787. Fraser trekked the

Allegheny Mountains The Allegheny Mountain Range (; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less devel ...

in 1789 when trans-Allegheny travel was limited to indigenous peoples' trails and one military trail, Braddock Road, built in 1751 and too far north of his journeys to be of help. He travelled with

François André Michaux François André Michaux (16 August 1770 – 23 October 1855) was a French botanist, son of André Michaux and the namesake of Michaux State Forest in Pennsylvania. Michaux ''père'' botanized in North America for nearly a dozen years (1785 ...

, and on the summit of the Great Roan was the first European to discover the '' Rhododendron catawbiense'', now cultivated in many varieties. Of the rhododendrons he wrote "We supplied ourselves with living plants, which were transmitted to England, all of which grew, and were sold for five

guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

s each."

Charleston nursery

John's brother James was actively involved with the American side of Fraser's plant export-import business, and from at least 1791 they jointly leased some land in Charleston until May 1800. In 1796, the brothers additionally mortgaged 406 acres on Johns Island along the

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found ...

y edge of

Stono River The Stono River or Creek is a tidal channel in southeast South Carolina, located southwest of Charleston. The channel runs southwest to northeast between the mainland and Wadmalaw Island and Johns Island, from north Edisto River between Johns ...

, originally a part of the

Fenwick Hall The Fenwick Hall, which is also known as Fenwick Castle, is a plantation house built about 1730 on Johns Island, South Carolina, across the Stono River from James Island and Charleston. It is located between River Road and Penneys Creek. It ...

estate. The brothers had difficulties with their land deals though, and in 1798 they fell behind in their payment obligations to the extent that their creditors instituted

litigation - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil act ...

to collect past due sums. Despite their problems with lawsuits, leases, mortgages, and land too marshy to be perfectly suited to their enterprise, in 1810, the year prior to Fraser's death, large numbers of rhododendrons, magnolias, and other native plants were still being shipped from the Fraser brothers' Charleston nursery by their agents there.

Russia and shipwreck

In 1795 Fraser made a first visit to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

where he sold a choice collection of plants to the Empress Catherine; to his delight she requested he set his own price. While there, he bought

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

and White Tartarian

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus '' Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The ...

in 1796, thereafter introducing them for the first time to England. In 1797 Czar Paul I ordered that Fraser be paid 4,000

ruble The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union. , currencies named ''rub ...

s for his plants that year, and by the next spring, Fraser had received £500 sterling for his efforts. In 1798 Fraser travelled again to Russia, returning afterward with the commission ''Botanical Collector to the Emperor Paul'', under the signature of each Paul and Catherine and dated Pavlovskoe, August, 1798. Based on his trust in the Imperial commission and in furtherance of carrying out the duties it imposed upon him, Fraser and his eldest son John started out once more in 1799, bound for America and the West Indies. They visited with

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

and made an extended journey through

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, eastern

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

, and northern Georgia, returning to Charleston in December 1800. From there they set out for

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

, but the sailing was a perilous one since between

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

and the United States they were

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

ed on a

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of Colony (biology), colonies of coral polyp (zoology), polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, wh ...

, about from land and from Havana, escaping only with great difficulty. "For six days they, with sixteen of the crew, endured the greatest privations until picked up by a Spanish boat and conveyed to land." The trip was nearly disastrous and the men barely escaped with their lives.

Cuba

While collecting specimens in Cuba, "a time when the sea asswarming with pirates", Fraser met the explorers

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister ...

and

Aimé Bonpland Aimé Jacques Alexandre Bonpland (; 22 August 1773 – 11 May 1858) was a French explorer and botanist who traveled with Alexander von Humboldt in Latin America from 1799 to 1804. He co-authored volumes of the scientific results of their ex ...

on their circuitous journey from the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

to Cartagena. John's son returned to England first, transporting a large botanical collection of Humboldt's after he had kindly intervened on their behalf during their sojourn to keep them safe. Fraser returned from Cuba to America and then to England in 1801 or 1802 with "a goodly collection of rarities," one of which was his discovery (as a European) of '' Jatropha pandurifolia''. In 1807, both father and son again sailed for North America and the West Indies. On his next trip to London after collecting in

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

, Fraser brought home a tropical palm with silvered leaves, ''

Corypha ''Corypha'' (gebang palm, buri palm or talipot palm) is a genus of palms (family Arecaceae), native to India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea and northeastern Australia (Cape York Peninsula, Queensland). They are fan pal ...

miraguama'', and made a manufacturing proposal for hand-weaving of hats and bonnets from its leaves; Fraser's sister Christiana "Christy" Fraser, opened an establishment for the purpose under the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

's patronage (the Queen herself was an amateur botanist) and employed a number of people, but the scheme ultimately failed, possibly through scarcity of material. Abies fraseri by Ellis Rowan 1901

Business difficulties

When Fraser made his next visit to the

Romanov The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to ...

court in 1805 expecting remuneration, to his great disappointment he discovered that the new Emperor would have nothing to do with him. Undaunted, he repeated the trip, visiting both

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

and Saint Petersburg, but in vain. After the Emperor Paul I's assassination in March, 1801, the new Emperor

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of A ...

declined to recognise Fraser's appointment. Fraser petitioned his cause for two years, finally resorting to seeking assistance from the British ambassadorial corps, and was ultimately paid 6,000 rubles by royal decree in April, 1803. The

Dowager A dowager is a widow or widower who holds a title or property—a " dower"—derived from her or his deceased spouse. As an adjective, ''dowager'' usually appears in association with monarchical and aristocratic titles. In popular usage, the noun ...

Empress Maria Feodorovna, an enthusiastic amateur botanist herself, supported his efforts, giving him a diamond ring and commissioning him for specimens for the Imperial Gardens of

Gatchina The town of Gatchina ( rus, Га́тчина, , ˈɡatːɕɪnə, links=y) serves as the administrative center of the Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which ...

and Pavlovsk Palace. The director of the Imperial Botanic Garden at Saint Petersburg catalogued 18 of Fraser's North American species in the early years of the 19th century, with some of the specimens surviving as of 1997 in the Komarov Botanical Institute of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...

. After the Romanov affair, Fraser faced severe financial difficulty, though again he sailed to America. While successful in his researches there, his nursery at home fell into neglect through his absence and money problems. His financial situation may have affected his relationship with his brother James, since in 1809 Fraser sued his brother as former business partner in the Charleston Court of Common Pleas for debts exceeding £1,042.

Later voyages

Fraser made his seventh and last voyage to the United States in 1807. Near Charleston he fell from his horse and broke several of his ribs, an injury from which he never fully recovered. His final voyage before returning to England was from America to Cuba in 1810 for a last visit to a country that welcomed him despite the nationalistic differences of the day, and from which he had a richly rewarding collecting history.

Death

Although he was known to his contemporaries as "John Fraser, the indefatigable", owing to his business and travel vexations and possibly also to exhaustion from his injuries after his fall, and his frequent and fatiguing journeys, his life was shortened — though a robust man, he died in April, 1811 in London, Sloane Square, at only 60, leaving two sons; his wife died a few years afterwards. He did live long enough to see one grandchild, William, born to John Jr. and his wife Sarah on 30 June 1808, and more offspring came later from both his sons. Fraser's financial difficulties must have been a heavy burden to his family even after he died, since two years afterward he was declared to have been bankrupt at his death. Fraser did take care of his family though, as the terms of his will gave his unmarried sister Christy a place in his home and financial aid from his sons; in 1818 Christy was still receiving her support as specified by that will.

Legacy

Throughout his travels, Fraser sent his collections to his nursery in London for reproduction and general sale to gardeners and architects coming to London to look for plants; to his herbarium (later becoming that of the Linnean Society) for further study; and to his clients, including

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

, the Emperor Paul I, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, the

(head gardener of Kew Gardens), Sir James Edward Smith (founder of the

), and others.
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London
', Academic Press, biodiversitylibrary.org, 1906–9, p. 15. Accessed 31 July 2012. The text indicates "Sir George Raeburn" rather than Sir Henry Raeburn as portraitist, likely a scrivener's error as there was no knighted "George Raeburn" of the era. Additionally, both Hoppner and Raeburn are represented in the

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana The National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana) in Havana, Cuba is a museum of fine arts that exhibits Cuban art collections from the colonial times up to contemporary generations. History It was founded ...

,
museum site page
, and Sir Henry Raeburn's studio was on George Street. Also, the articl
Art of the Moment
''Black and White Magazine'', newspaperarchive.com, 18 January 1908, p. 16, (requires Flash plugin) shows two portraits of Fraser, one by Hoppner and the other by Sir Henry Raeburn, and both are entitled as such.

William Roscoe William Roscoe (8 March 175330 June 1831) was an English banker, lawyer, and briefly a Member of Parliament. He is best known as one of England's first abolitionists, and as the author of the poem for children ''The Butterfly's Ball, and the G ...

wrote of him: "John Fraser brought more plants into this kingdom ritainthan any other person." Though Fraser died young, his sons carried on their father's work; John Jr. returned to America where he continued his own botanic excursions until 1817 before returning to England and founding his own nursery. Fraser was hailed early on by his biographers as " e of the most enterprising, indefatigable, and persevering men that ever embarked in the cause of botany and natural science." Magnolia fraseri - Curtis

Species named for Fraser

Species named after Fraser include, among others, ''

Abies fraseri The Fraser fir (''Abies fraseri'') is a species of fir native to the Appalachian Mountains of the Southeastern United States. ''Abies fraseri'' is closely related to ''Abies balsamea'' (balsam fir), of which it has occasionally been treated as ...

'' (Fraser Fir), ''Magnolia fraseri'' (Fraser Magnolia), and the gentianworts, '' Frasera''. A 50-foot Fraser Fir was used in 1998 as the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree; the species was also used in 1974.

Architect of the Capitol The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is the federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex. It is an agency of the legislative branch of the federal government and is ...

1998 Capitol Christmas Tree
aoc.gov. Accessed 31 July 2012. The Fraser's Saint John's wort (''Triadenum fraseri'') is named in honour of Fraser.

Publications

* Fraser, John, pub., Thomas Walter, ''Flora Caroliniana'', 1788. * Fraser, John, ''A Short History of Agrostis Cornucopiae'', 1789. * Fraser, John, Nursery Catalogues, repub. in ''Journal of Botany, British and Foreign'', vol. 37, 1899, pp. 481–87. * Fraser, John, Nursery Catalogues, repub. in ''Journal of Botany, British and Foreign'', vol. 45, 1907, p. 255; and vol. 53, 1915, p. 271. * Fraser, John, Nursery Catalogues, repub. in ''Journal of Botany'', 1921, pp. 69–71.

Letters and portraits

John Fraser's letters are maintained at the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

, and one of his portraits hung at the Hunt Library. Both Hoppner and

Raeburn Raeburn is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Agnes Raeburn (1872-1955), Scottish artist * Anna Raeburn (born 1944), British broadcaster and journalist * Boyd Raeburn U.S. jazz bandleader and bass saxophonist * Henry Raeburn (17 ...

painted his portrait. Fraser was an elected fellow of both the Linnean Society of London (FLS 1810) and the Royal Horticultural Society, denoted by his use of "F.R.H.S.".

Botanical name notes

John Fraser's son John Jr., né John Fraser (c. 1779–1852), takes the author abbreviation Fraser f. in citations. North American plants discovered and introduced
by John Fraser between 1785 and 1799; and by J. Fraser, Jr., from 1799 to 1817.Hooker, William J.
Biographical Sketch of John Fraser
''Companion to the Botanical Magazine'', biodiversitylibrary.org, v. 2, 1837, pp. 300–305. Accessed 4 August 2012. The bulk of the species list is from this work, except where otherwise annotated.
:Agrostis Cornucopiae. :Aletris aurea. :Allium cernuum, Bot. 1324. ::— reticulatum. :Andromeda cassinaefolia, Bot. Mag. t. 970. ::— Catesbaei, Bot. Mag. t. 1955. ::— dealbata, Bot. Reg. t. 1010. ::— ferruginea. ::— floribunda, Bot. Reg. t. 1566. ::— serratifolia. :Annona pygmaea. :Asarum arifolium. Hook Ex. Fl. t. 40. :Asclepias amplexicaulis. ::— acuminata. ::— Linaria. ::— pedicellata. ::— perfoliata. ::— salviaefolia. :Azalea arborescens. ::— calendulacea, Bot. Mag. t. 1721(β) ::— canescens. ::— coccinea, Bot. Mag. t 180. ::— glauca. ::— nitida. :Bartsia coccinea. :Befaria racemosa. :Betula lutea. :Blandfordia cordata. :Buchnera pedunculata. :Calycanthus glaucus, Bot. Reg. t. 404. ::— laevigatus, Bot. Reg. t. 481. :Carex Fraseriana, Bot. Mag. t. 1391. :Chaptalia tomentosa, Bot. Mag. (Tussilago integrifolia) t. 2257. :Clethra scabra. :Collinsonia ovalis. ::— tuberosa. :Commelina angustifolia. :Convolvulus tenellus. :Coreopsis latifolia. :Corypha Hystrix. :Cristaria coccinea, Bot. Mag. t. 1673. :Croton maritimum. :Cypripedium Calceolus.Ward, Daniel B., Beckner, John
Thomas Walters Orchids
brit.org, ''Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas'', 5(1), 2011, pp.205–211 at 209. Accessed 2012-8-6. :Cypripedium pubescens, Lodd. t. 895. :Cypripedium reginae.Ward, Daniel B.
Thomas Walter's species of Hedysarum (Leguminosae)
brit.org, ''Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas'', 4(2), 2010, pp.705–710 at 706. Accessed 2012-8-6. :Cyrilla Caroliniana, Bot. Mag. t. 2456. :Diospyros pubescens. :Dracocephalum caeruleum. :Echites difformis. :Elaeagnus argenteus. :Erigeron bellidifolium. ::— compositum. ::— nudicaule. :Euphorbia Ipecacuanha, Bot. Mag. t. 1494. ::— marginata. :Frasera Walteri. :Galardia bicolor, Bot. Mag. t. 1602, and vars. 2940, and 3368. :Gentiana crinita, Bot. Mag. t. 1039 (G. fimbriata). ::— incarnata, Bot. Mag. t. 1856. :Gerardia flava. ::— quercifolia. ::— tenuifolia. :Gnaphalium undulatum. :Halesia parviflora. :Hamamelis macrophylla. :Helonias angustifolia, Bot. Mag, t. 1540. :Hydrangea quercifolia, Bot. Mag. t. 975. ::— radiata. : Hypoxis juncea. :Ilex angustifolia. :Illicium parviflorum. :Ipomaea Jalapa, Bot. Mag. t. 1572. ::— Michauxii. ::— sagittifolia. :Ipomopsis elegans, Bot. Reg. t. 1281. :Jeffersonia diphylla, Bot. Mag. t. 1513. :Juglans amara. ::— porcina. ::— sulcata. :Kalmia hirsuta, Bot. Mag. t. 138. ::— rosmarinifolia. :Larix Fraseri. :Laurus Caroliniensis ::— Catesbaei. ::— Diospyros, Bot. Mag. t. 1470. ::— melissaefolia, Bot. Mag. t. 1470. :Liatris cylindracea ::— elegans. ::— odoratissima. ::— pilosa. ::— sphaeroidea. :Lilium Catesbei Bot. Mag. t. 259. :Lobelia puberula, Bot. Mag. t. 3292. :Lonicera Caroliniensis. ::— flava, Bot. Mag. t. 1318. :Lupinus villosus. :Macbridea pulchra. :Magnolia auriculata, Bot. Mag. t. 1206. ::— Fraseri. ::— cordata, Bot. Reg. t. 325. ::— macrophylla, Bot. Mag. t. 2189. ::— pyramidata, Bot. Reg. t. 407. :Malachodendron ovatum, Bot. Reg. t. 1104. :Malaxis unifolia. :Menziesia ferruginea, Bot. Mag. t. 1571. ::— globularis. :Mespilus spathulata. :Muhlenbergia diffusa. :Nelumbium macrophyllum. :Neottia cernua, Bot. Mag. t. 1568. ::— tortilis. :Nymphsea odorata, Bot. Mag. t. 819. ::— reniformis. :Oenothera caespitosa, Bot. Mag. t. 1593. ::— Fraseri, Bot. Mag. t 1674. ::— glauca, Bot. Mag. t. 1606. ::— macrocarpa, Bot. Mag. t. 1592. ::— Missourensis. :Orchis spectabilis, Exot. Fl. t. 69. :Pachysandra procumbens, Bot. Mag. t. 1964. :Pancratium Carolinianum, Bot. Reg. t. 926. :Pavia macrostachya. :Pedicularis Canadensis, Bot. Mag. t. 2506. :Phalangium esculentum, Bot. Mag. t. l574. ::— (Quamash). :Pinckneya pubescens. :Pinguicula lutea, Bot. Reg. t. 126. :Pinus Cedrus. :Pinus lutea. ::— palustris. ::— pungens. :Phlox acuminata, Bot. Mag. t 1880. ::— amaena Bot. Mag. t. 1308. ::— Carolina, Bot. Mag. t. 1344. ::— nivea. ::— pyramidalis. ::— setacea, Bot. Mag. t. 415. ::— stolonifera, Bot. Mag. t. 563. ::— subulata, Bot. Mag. 411. :Polygonum arifolium. :Pontederia lanceolata. :Prunus Chicasa. ::— maritima. :Prunus pygmaea. :Pycnanthemum lanceolatum. ::— verticillatum. :Pyrola maculata, Bot. Mag. t. 897. ::— repens. :Pyxidanthera barbulata. :Quercus Bannisteri. ::— Catesbaei. ::— castanea. ::— hemisphaerica. ::— imbricaria. ::— laurifolia. ::— lyrata. ::— Michauxii. ::— montana. ::— olivaeformis. ::— prinoides. ::— tinctoria. :Rhexia Caroliniensis :Rhododendron Catawbiense, Bot. Mag. t. 1671. ::— punctatum, Bot. Reg. 37. :Ribes aureum, Bot. Reg. t. 125. ::— hirtellum. ::— resinosum, Bot. Mag. t. 1583. :Rosa Caroliniensis. ::— laevigata. :Rudbeckia pinnata, Bot. Mag. t. 2310. :Sagittaria falcata. ::— graminea. ::— latifolia. :Salix cordifolia. ::— falcata. :Salvia azurea, Bot. Mag. t. 1728. :Sarracenia adunca, Bot. Mag. t. 1710. ::— rubra, Bot. Mag. t. 3515. :Satyrium repens. :Schizandra coccinea, Bot. Mag. t. 1413. :Scutellaria Canadensis. :Sideranthus pinnatifidus. ::— villosus. :Silene pennsylvanica, Bot. Mag. t. 3342. ::— Virginica. :Smilax lanceolata. ::— pubera. ::— quadrangularis. :Streptopus roseus. :Thalia dealbata, Bot. Mag. t. 1690. :Thymbra Caroliniana, Bot. Mag. t. 997. :Tradescantia rosea. :Trillium pictum. ::— pusillum. :Vaccinium buxifolium, Bot. Mag. t. 928. ::— frondosum. ::— myrsinites, Bot. Mag. t. 1550. ::— myrtifolium. ::— nitidum, Bot. Mag. t. 1550. ::— parviflorum, Bot. Mag. t. 1288. :Verbena bracteosa, Bot. Mag. t. 2910. ::— rugosa. :Viola papilionacea. ::— pedata, Bot. Mag. t. 89. ::— pubescens. ::— rotundifolia. :Virgilia lutea. :Ulmus alata. :Uniola paniculata. :Uvularia grandiflora, Bot. Mag. t. 1112. :Waltheria Caroliniana. :Xyris Canadensis. :Yucca Missourensis. ::— recurva. ::— serrulata. :Zamia pumila.