Sir William Fraser (1840 – 16 July 1923) was an Independent Conservative then Reform Party member of parliament in New Zealand.

Biography

Early life

Fraser was born in India, the son of Captain Hugh Fraser of the 5th Madras Light Cavalry. He received his education at Elizabeth College in

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

, Victoria College in

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

, and the Lycée de St Brieuc in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

, France. He came to New Zealand in September 1858 for farming. Together with Alfred Rowland Chetham-Strode, he took up Earnscleugh Station on the Earnscleugh River. In 1874, he married Ellen Isabel Strode, the daughter of his business partner, in 1874.

Political career

Fraser was a member 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 ...

(1867–1870). He was a member of the inaugural

Vincent County Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

from 1877 until 1893, the last ten years as chairman. He won the Wakatipu electorate in the 1893 general election, and retired in

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

. He served on the Legislative Council from 1919 to 1923 when he died. Under Prime Minister

William Massey William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925), commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zea ...

, he was Minister of Public Works (10 July 1912 – 3 April 1920), Minister of Mines (10 July 1912 – 12 August 1915; 4 September 1919 – 27 July 1920),

Minister of Industries and Commerce The Minister of Industries and Commerce in New Zealand is a former cabinet position (existing from 1894 to 1972) appointed by the Prime Minister to be in charge of matters of industrial and commercial growth and trade. In 1972 it was replaced w ...

(10 July 1912 – 26 July 1912) and a Member of the Executive Council (without portfolio; 27 July 1920 – 16 July 1923). Fraser was widely criticised as Minister of Public Works for using railway branch lines as "electoral bait" particularly in the South Island and for not adopting new techniques.

Later life and death

He was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

on 6 February 1918 and, on the occasion of the royal visit by Edward, Prince of Wales to Australia and New Zealand, a

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

in 1920. Fraser died on 16 July 1923 at

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 ...

after a short illness of only three weeks. His wife had died many years before him.

, the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

, commented on his death: "there came to an end one of the most useful careers of this country." His funeral service was held at Old St. Paul's in Wellington, and he was buried at

Karori Cemetery Karori Cemetery is New Zealand's second largest cemetery, located in the Wellington suburb of Karori. History Karori Cemetery opened in 1891 to address overcrowding at Bolton Street Cemetery. In 1909, it received New Zealand's first cremato ...

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, William 1840 births 1923 deaths Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Reform Party (New Zealand) MLCs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates New Zealand Knights Bachelor New Zealand Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey Burials at Karori Cemetery People educated at Victoria College, Jersey Members of the Otago Provincial Council Independent MPs of New Zealand 19th-century New Zealand politicians