Alexander Fraser (January 18, 1786 – November 12, 1853) was a soldier and political figure in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

. He was born in Glendoemore, near

Fort Augustus Fort Augustus is a settlement in the parish of Boleskine and Abertarff, at the south-west end of Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands. The village has a population of around 646 (2001). Its economy is heavily reliant on tourism. History The Gaeli ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

in 1786. He joined the Canadian Fencibles in Scotland in 1803 and came to

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

with them in 1805. He served as quartermaster with them during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. In 1816, he settled in Charlottenburgh Township in

Glengarry County Glengarry County, an area covering , is a former county in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is historically known for its settlement of Scottish Highlanders. Glengarry County now consists of the modern-day townships of North Glengarry and South ...

. He called his farm, located near Williamstown, Fraserfield. He was a co-founder of the

Highland Society of Canada Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

in 1818. In 1820, he was appointed justice of the peace in the Eastern District. In 1828, he was elected to the 10th Parliament of Upper Canada representing Glengarry County. In 1836, he became registrar for the county. He commanded a regiment of the Glengarry militia during the rebellion of 1837–38 in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

. In 1839, he became a member of the Legislative Council. In 1841, he became a legislative councillor for the province of Canada and he was appointed the first warden of the Eastern District. He opposed the

Rebellion Losses Bill The Rebellion Losses Bill (full name: ''An Act to provide for the Indemnification of Parties in Lower Canada whose Property was destroyed during the Rebellion in the years 1837 and 1838'') was a controversial law enacted by the legislature of ...

of 1849 and lobbied to ensure that the old Eastern District remained intact in 1849 as the

United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG) is an upper-tier municipality in the Canadian province of Ontario that comprises three historical counties and excludes the City of Cornwall and the Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne. However ...

. He died at Fraserfield in 1853.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Alexander 1786 births 1853 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada Members of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada People from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry People from Highland (council area) Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Immigrants to Upper Canada Canadian justices of the peace