A VETERAN LEGISLATOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20187, 26 August 1927, Page 6

A VETERAN LEGISLATOR.

EARLY DAYS OF ORANGE FREE STATE. (Eeom Oua Own Correspondent.) DURBAN, July 15. The white inhabitants of the Orange Free State consist, broadly speaking,_ of two-thirds Dutch and one-third British. Sir John George Fraser, LL.D., who died at Bloemfontein on June 22, in his eightyseventh year, may, notwithstanding that he was of British extraction, well be regarded as the G.O.M. of the Orange Free State, for he had for a period of 40 years —between 1880 and 1920—taken a leading part in the public life and government of the State. Ho lived a long, busy, successful, patriotic, and happy life. Sir John was born at Beaufort West, Cape Colony, on December 17, 1849. He and his elder brother Colin, when boys of II and 13, went to Scotland for their education, and received it at the Free Church Institution, Inverness, and at Marischal and King’s Colleges, Aberdeen. Their father’ was the Rev. Colin Mackenzie Fraser, an Inverness-shire minister, who was one of the earliest Scots ministers to go to South Africa to serve and stimulate tho then struggling Dutch Reformed Church in the sub-continent. Mr Fraser practised first of all as a surgeon, afterwards as a civil servant, and ultimately he found his lasting metier as a solicitor and advocate. Up to the time of his death he was the principal partner in the well-known Bloemfontein legal firm of Fraser and Scott. As field cornet of the Philippine commando, Fraser played a gallant part in the Basuto War of ISGS-06. Some years later lie become private secretary to the President (Sir John Brand), and afterwards was a member and chairman of the Volksraad for 12 years. He was a strong opponent of the Free State policy which led to its participation in the Boer War of 1899-1902, holding that the Free State should not have concerned itself in it. During the Boer War Mr Fraser was one of the Committee of Public Safety, which surrendered Bloemfontein to Lord Roberts, after President Stein and the Republican Government had departed. Mr Fraser was a member of tire Legislative Council under <'rown Colony Government. lie was knighted in 1905, and from 1910 to 1920 was a Senator of tho Union.