Peter Fraser

Politician

• Born: August 28, 1884
• Birthplace: Fearn, Scotland
• Died: December 12, 1950
• Place of death: Wellington, New Zealand

Also known as: Pat Fraser

Significance: As the prime minister of New Zealand between 1940 and 1949, Peter Fraser led the nation through World War II and broadened its foreign relations during and after the war.

Background

Peter Fraser was born on August 28, 1884, in Fearn, a village in Ross, Scotland, to Isabella McLeod and Donald Fraser, a shoemaker and leader in the Liberal Association political group. He attended the local primary school in Fearn but quit while young to earn money for the family.

Fraser worked as an assistant postman, carpenter’s apprentice, and joiner while reading socialist literature on his own. During his teens he joined the Liberal Association and became secretary of the local branch at age sixteen.

Trade Union and Political Activism

In 1908 Fraser moved to London, England, where he worked at the Office of Works, deepened his interest in socialism, and joined the Independent Labour Party. Drawn to New Zealand because of its progressive reputation, he emigrated, arriving in Auckland in early January 1911. He found work on the wharves and immersed himself in trade union politics. He joined the New Zealand Socialist Party and became the president of the Auckland General Labourers’ Union.

A proponent of militancy, Fraser advocated for direct action rather than arbitration and won better wages and conditions for workers at the Portland Cement Company. In 1911 he managed Michael Joseph Savage’s unsuccessful campaign for a seat in parliament. By early 1912 Fraser was an executive member of the New Zealand Federation of Labour. Unsuccessful efforts to negotiate labor disputes with the Auckland City Council led to the formation of a more moderate union, and Fraser resigned from the Federation of Labour and moved to Wellington in 1913.

Fraser worked on the wharves and continued his activism. In July 1913 he attended the second Unity Congress, where he became a founding member and secretary-treasurer of the United Federation of Labour and the Social Democratic Party. His leadership role in a large wharf and miner strike later that year led to his arrest and a new determination to effect change through the political system rather than direct action by labor unions. Fraser helped found the New Zealand Labour Party in mid-1916 and was elected to its national executive. An outspoken opponent of military conscription during World War I (1914-1918), he was arrested in December 1916 for calling for the repeal of the Military Services Act. Convicted of sedition, he spent twelve months in prison.

After his release, Fraser worked as a journalist and on Henry Holland’s campaigns for a seat in parliament. He also served as the editor of the Maoriland Worker and the New Zealand Worker newspapers.

Political Career

Fraser entered federal government in 1918 when he was elected to parliament for the seat of Wellington Central. He quickly established a reputation for his hard work and organizational skills doing relief work during the 1918 influenza pandemic. The next year he was elected to the Wellington City Council. He served one term through 1923, then ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Wellington. Reelected to the City Council in 1933, he served through 1936. Meanwhile, Fraser rose quickly through the ranks of the Labour Party, becoming party secretary in 1919 and deputy leader in 1933.

After Labour won the government in the 1935 election and established the country's first Labour administration, Fraser was named minister of education and health, as well as of marine and police. Consistent with the Labour administration’s emphasis on social welfare, he pushed through legislation that made free education accessible to all, improved secondary education, and initiated other educational reforms. A key negotiator during the passage of the Social Security Act 1938, he secured physicians’ acceptance of the bill.

Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage’s failing health resulted in Fraser became acting prime minister in August 1939. After Savage’s death, Fraser won the party leadership and became prime minister on March 27, 1940. World War II (1939-1945) dominated his attention, and he participated in international meetings and conferences to address defense issues. At home, he led the war effort and established New Zealand’s strategic decision-making independent of Great Britain. This led to him establishing direct diplomatic relations with the United States and closer diplomatic relations with Australia, particularly through the creation of the Canberra Pact of 1947, an agreement between New Zealand and Australia to cooperate on issues of mutual concern and to create a regional defense zone.

In June 1945 Fraser was a delegate to the San Francisco Conference, where he unsuccessfully argued against the exclusion of small nations having veto power at the United Nations Security Council, and signed the UN charter. Other achievements included settling Māori land claims and the Maori Social and Economic Advancement Act 1945, which granted Māori greater autonomy and control over their affairs.

The Labour Party lost the 1949 election to the National Party, and Sidney Holland succeeded Fraser on December 13, 1949. Fraser remained in parliament as the leader of the opposition until his death in Wellington on December 12, 1950.

Impact

Fraser is widely recognized as one of New Zealand’s greatest prime ministers. He led New Zealand through World War II and set the direction for its postwar national defense strategy and international relations based on a national identity separate from Great Britain. A life-sized statue of him was erected on the grounds of the former Government Buildings (later the Victoria University Law School) in 1989. An annual Peter Fraser Memorial Lecture that examines his legacy to education premiered in 2010.

Personal Life

Fraser and fellow political activist Janet Henderson Munroe married in 1919. He had a stepson from Janet’s earlier marriage. Fraser’s wife preceded him in death in 1946.

Bibliography

Beaglehole, Tim. “Fraser, Peter.” Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, 1998. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/4f22/fraser-peter. Accessed 2 Apr. 2020.

Clark, Helen. “The UN and New Zealand—Peter Fraser’s Legacy.” United Nations Development Program, 12 Aug, 2010, www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-centre/speeches/2010/08/12/the-un-and-new-zealand--peter-frasers-legacy.html. Accessed 2 Apr. 2020.

“Fraser Statue.” Wellington City Council, 25 Sept. 2017. wellingtoncityheritage.org.nz/buildings/objects/32-fraser-statue. Accessed 2 Apr. 2020.

Hensley, Gerald. “Peter Fraser at War.” New Zealand History, New Zealand Government, 5 Apr. 2011, nzhistory.govt.nz/files/documents/peter-fraser-at-war.pdf. Accessed 2 Apr. 2020.

McAloon, Jim. “Fraser and the First World War.” New Zealand WW100, New Zealand Government, 20 Dec. 2016, ww100.govt.nz/fraser-and-the-first-world-war. Accessed 3 Apr. 2020.

McLean, Gavin. “Peter Fraser.” New Zealand History, New Zealand Government, 8 Nov. 2017. nzhistory.govt.nz/people/peter-fraser. Accessed 2 Apr. 2020.