Don Fraser | |
|---|---|
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| 44thMayor of Minneapolis | |
| In office January 2, 1980 – January 3, 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Albert Hofstede |
| Succeeded by | Sharon Sayles Belton |
| 67th President of theNational League of Cities | |
| In office 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Glenda Hood |
| Succeeded by | Sharpe James |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's5th district | |
| In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Walter Judd |
| Succeeded by | Martin Olav Sabo |
| Member of theMinnesota Senate | |
| In office 1955–1963 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Donald MacKay Fraser (1924-02-20)February 20, 1924 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | June 2, 2019(2019-06-02) (aged 95) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (DFL) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6 |
| Education | University of Minnesota (BA,LLB) |
Donald MacKay Fraser (February 20, 1924 – June 2, 2019) was an American politician from Minnesota who served asU.S. Representative fromMinnesota's 5th congressional district from 1963 to 1979 and as mayor ofMinneapolis from 1980 to 1994.
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Fraser was born inMinneapolis,Minnesota, to Everett and Lois (McKay) Fraser, immigrants fromCanada.[1] His father studied law atHarvard University, began teaching atGeorge Washington University and became dean of theUniversity of Minnesota Law School in 1920. Fraser graduated from University High School in 1941 and that year, he entered theUniversity of Minnesota. During college, he was a member of the varsity swimming team.
Having joined theUS NavyROTC, he was placed on active duty in July 1942 and continued his naval studies on campus until February 1944, when he was commissioned an officer and sent to thePacific Theater duringWorld War II. Fraser worked as aradar officer into the peacetime that followed, ending in 1946. In June 1946 Fraser returned to Minneapolis to study law at theUniversity of Minnesota Law School.
Fraser served as a member of theMinnesota Law Review and wrote a law review article on the illegality ofracial covenants for land, a position supported by theUnited States Supreme Court in 1948. Fraser earned his law degree and was admitted to the bar, the same year. He joined the politically active firm of Larson, Loevinger, Lindquist, Freeman, and Fraser. Fraser engaged in general law practice and served as municipal attorney for the suburban community ofBrooklyn Center, Minnesota. He marriedArvonne Skelton in 1950 and the following year, they had the first of their six children: Thomas, Mary, John, Lois, Anne, and Jean.
In 1954, Fraser was elected to theMinnesota Senate and served for eight years. In 1962, he was elected to theU.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's Fifth District. He served there in the88th through the95th Congresses, from January 3, 1963 until January 3, 1979.[2] Fraser is now best known for his work as the chair of the International Organizations and Movements subcommittee, a post he used to hold hearings on human rights violations in U.S. allies. As the historianBarbara Keys has shown, from 1973 to 1976, Fraser was a key leader in Congress in drafting legislation to reduce U.S. aid to countries whose governments engaged in a pattern of "gross violations of human rights."[citation needed] His efforts laid the foundations for much ofJimmy Carter's human rights agenda and transformed the way the U.S. Department of State operates, mandating that it write annual country reports on human rights and ensuring that diplomatic posts take note of human rights issues.[3][4] In 1978, following the death of incumbent U.S. senatorHubert Humphrey, Fraser chose to run in thespecial election for Humphrey's old senate seat instead of running for re-election to the house. Fraser received the endorsement of theDFL but was narrowly defeated by the more conservative businessmanBob Short. Short went on to lose the general election to attorneyDavid Durenberger.[5]
Fraser served as president ofAmericans for Democratic Action from 1974 to 1976. He was electedmayor of Minneapolis in 1979, taking office on January 2, 1980.[6] His first mayoral term was two years; he was re-elected to three four-year terms. He was the oldest, longest-lived and longest-serving mayor in Minneapolis history.[7] In 1993, he served as president of theNational League of Cities.[8] He left office as mayor on January 3, 1994, and was succeeded by the city's first female and firstAfrican-American mayor,Sharon Sayles Belton.[7]
Fraser died on June 2, 2019, at age 95.[9]
His papers are available for research. The collection is particularly strong in its documentation of international relations, Democratic Party policy and reform, human rights issues, environmental conservation, and women's issues, in the 1960s and 1970s.[10]
On April 23, 2014, Fraser endorsed the proposal for theUnited Nations Parliamentary Assembly. He is one of only six people who served in Congress to do so.[11]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's 5th congressional district 1963–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Howard Baker,George H. W. Bush,Peter Dominick,Gerald Ford,Robert Griffin,Thomas Kuchel,Mel Laird,Bob Mathias,George Murphy,Dick Poff,Chuck Percy,Al Quie,Charlotte Reid,Hugh Scott,Bill Steiger,John Tower1968 | Response to the State of the Union address 1970 Served alongside:Scoop Jackson,Mike Mansfield,John McCormack,Ed Muskie,Bill Proxmire,Patsy Mink | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Mayor of Minneapolis 1980–1994 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
