He was the son of Thomas and Mary Fraser of Kirkmuirhill, Lanarkshire.[2] He was educated at Lesmahagow Higher Grade School until the age of 14, when he began work as a miner, working underground until his entry to parliament.[3] The economist Sir Alec Cairncross, also a pupil at the school, remembered Fraser as "rather shy, quiet spoken, friendly and unassertive ... not a very conspicuous member of the class, nor one who ever showed the gifts one associates with a political career".[4]
In opposition, Fraser served as Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland "for many years".[7] Following Labour's victory in the 1964 general election he served as Minister of Transport from 16 October 1964 until 23 December 1965. In December 1965 he introduced the 70 mph (113 km/h) speed limit on motorways as an emergency measure,[8] following a series of multiple low-speed crashes on motorways, mainly in fog.[9] During his tenure as minister, he authorised the closure 1,071 miles (1,724 km) of railway lines, following the recommendations from the Beeching reports, including lines, notably the Oxford to Cambridge Line, that Beeching had not considered closing.[10] On the other hand, he also rejected closure proposals for such lines as the West Highland Line between Fort William and Mallaig.[11]
He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1964. He later served on the Wheatley Commission and was in part responsible for the resulting reforms in Scottish local government. He retired to Lesmahagow, where he had previously been employed as a miner, and died in Law Hospital in 1988 after a brief illness.[7] When he died, one of his successors for the seat, George Robertson, noted there was still "immense respect" for him in Hamilton.[7]
Family
In 1935, Fraser married Janet Scanlon of Lesmahagow. They had a son and a daughter.[2]
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