Sir Hugh Fraser | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary of State for Air | |
| In office 16 July 1962 – 1 April 1964 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Macmillan Alec Douglas-Home |
| Preceded by | Julian Amery |
| Succeeded by | Office Abolished |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | |
| In office 28 October 1960 – 16 July 1962 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Macmillan |
| Preceded by | Julian Amery |
| Succeeded by | Nigel Fisher |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Financial Secretary for War | |
| In office 28 November 1958 – 28 October 1960 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Macmillan |
| Preceded by | Julian Amery |
| Succeeded by | James Ramsden |
| Member of Parliament forStafford Stafford and Stone (1950–1983) Stone (1945–1950) | |
| In office 5 July 1945 – 6 March 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Lamb |
| Succeeded by | Bill Cash |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hugh Charles Patrick Joseph Fraser (1918-01-23)23 January 1918 |
| Died | 6 March 1984(1984-03-06) (aged 66) |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6, includingRebecca andFlora |
| Parent(s) | Simon Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat Hon. Laura Lister |
| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Politician |
Sir Hugh Charles Patrick Joseph FraserMBE (23 January 1918 – 6 March 1984) was a BritishConservative Party politician and first husband ofLady Antonia Fraser.
Fraser was the second son ofthe 14th Lord Lovat and a prominentRoman Catholic. He was educated atAmpleforth College andBalliol College, Oxford, where he was President of theOxford Union. He also attended theSorbonne.
He was commissioned into theLovat Scouts in 1936 and served throughoutWorld War II. During the war, Fraser served in GHQ Liaison Regiment. Lieutenant Fraser was promoted to temporary captain on 14 April 1942 and became second in command of ‘C’ Squadron. In November 1944, he was posted to IS9 as an intelligence officer.
Fraser was appointed a Member of theOrder of the British Empire:
"In February, March and April of this year, he was responsible for planning and organising infiltration and evacuation operations in Southern Holland. Throughout, his work with IS 9 (WEA) has been outstanding, and his powers of leadership and sympathetic handling of agents have largely contributed to the success the operational teams have had during the past months."
Fraser was awarded the 1940 Belgian Croix de Guerre with palm:
"Capt Fraser was dropped by parachute nearSomme-Leuze in the Ardennes on 1 Sept 1944 to act as Liaison Officer between HQ SAS Troops and the Commander of Zone theBelgian Armee Secrete, in whose zone SAS parties of the Belgian SAS Regt were then operating. The Armee Secrete in the Ardennes was very short of arms and it was largely as a result of Capt Fraser's efforts that some 2000 arms were dropped to them in the next three weeks. He also organised the supply of local guides and of intelligence to the advancing US forces. From October 1944 until March 1945 Capt Fraser was in charge of an I.S. 9 Field Section in the Canadian Army sector in Holland where he did valuable work in arranging the exfiltration of allied evaders collected by Lt Kirschen (Belgian SAS Regt operation Fabian) in the Velune district."
Fraser was electedMember of Parliament forStone in 1945, laterStafford and Stone following constituency boundary changes, from 1950 until 1983 and thenStafford again until his death. He served as an MP continuously from 1945 until 1984 but did not becomeFather of the House as he was sworn in as an MP on 15 August 1945 whileJames Callaghan had been sworn in on 2 August 1945 and so he, rather than Fraser, became Father following the 1983 election. Fraser was the founder of theConservative Philosophy Group, a group created to provide an intellectual basis for conservatism.[3]
He wasParliamentary Private Secretary toOliver Lyttelton (1951–54), a junior minister in the War Office (1958–60) and Colonial Office (1960–62), andSecretary of State for Air (1962–64). He was sworn in as a Member of thePrivy Council in 1962, giving him the right to the prefix "The Right Honourable" for life. He stood as a candidate in theConservative Party's 1975 leadership election, presenting himself as an anti-establishment candidate, criticizing incumbent leaderEdward Heath for his "domination" of the party, and advocating for rebuilding support for the Conservative Party in Scotland and Northern Ireland.[4] He gained 16 votes in the first round challenging Edward Heath, with the leadership eventually being won byMargaret Thatcher.
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Fraser married the future author LadyAntonia Pakenham, daughter of theEarl andCountess of Longford, on 25 September 1956. They had six children, includingFlora. In 1975, while she was still married to him, Lady Antonia Fraser met and started living with playwrightHarold Pinter, who was also married at the time. The Frasers divorced in 1977; Lady Antonia married Pinter in 1980 when his divorce became final.
Fraser was the intended target of anIRAcar bomb on 23 October 1975.[5] The bomb had been fitted to one of Fraser's cars outside his home inCampden Hill Square. A noted cancer researcher, ProfessorGordon Hamilton Fairley, was walking past the car when the bomb exploded prematurely, killing him instantly. Fraser's wife, Lady Antonia, andCaroline Kennedy, a guest of the Frasers visiting London to complete a year-long art course atSotheby's auction house, would have been in the car when the bomb detonated had it not done so prematurely. The reason that Fraser was targeted for assassination remains unknown.[6]
Fraser was remembered byJohn Casey as being a "high Tory... and Romantic" with a "gift for friendship"[7]
Sir Hugh Fraser remained in parliament until his death fromlung cancer in March 1984, aged 66.Bill Cash retained the seat for the Tories at theby-election two months later.[8]
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help){{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help){{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forStone 1945 – 1950 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forStafford and Stone 1950 – 1983 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forStafford 1983 – 1984 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies 1960 – 1962 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
