Alexander Fraser (January 18, 1786 – November 12, 1853) was a soldier and political figure in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

. He was born in Glendoemore, near

Fort Augustus Fort Augustus is a settlement in the parish of Boleskine and Abertarff, at the south-west end of Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands. The village has a population of around 646 (2001). Its economy is heavily reliant on tourism. History Early histo ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in 1786. He joined the Canadian Fencibles in Scotland in 1803 and came to

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

with them in 1805. He served as Quartermaster with them during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. In 1816, he settled in Charlottenburgh Township in

Glengarry County Glengarry County, an area covering , is a county in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is still inhabited by the descendants of 18th and early 19th-century Scottish Highland pioneer settlers from Lochaber, was historically a Gàidhealtachd commun ...

. He called his farm, located near Williamstown, Fraserfield. He was a co-founder of the

Highland Society of Canada Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

in 1818. In 1820, he was appointed justice of the peace in the Eastern District. In 1828, he was elected to the 10th Parliament of Upper Canada representing Glengarry County. In 1836, he became registrar for the county. He commanded the 1st Glengarry Battalion of Militia during the rebellion of 1837–38 in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

fighting at the

Battle of Beauharnois The Battle of Beauharnois was fought on November 10, 1838, between Lower Canada loyalists and Patriote rebels, after 500 armed men had converged on Beauharnois, on November 3–4, overtaking the seigneurial manor. The seigneury of Beauharnois b ...

. In 1839, he became a member of the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

. In 1841, he became a legislative councilor for the province of Canada and he was appointed the first warden of the Eastern District. He opposed the

Rebellion Losses Bill The Rebellion Losses Bill (full name: ''An Act to provide for the Indemnification of Parties in Lower Canada whose Property was destroyed during the Rebellion in the years 1837 and 1838'') was a controversial law enacted by the legislature of ...

of 1849 and lobbied to ensure that the old Eastern District remained intact in 1849 as the

United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG) is a county and Census divisions of Canada, census division in the Canadian province of Ontario, that comprises three historical county, counties. The county's administrative office is lo ...

. Fraser married Ann Macdonell (1797-1861), daughter of Archibald Macdonell of Leek (c.1741-1816) who fought with the

King's Royal Regiment of New York The King's Royal Regiment of New York, also known as Johnson's Royal Regiment of New York, King's Royal Regiment, King's Royal Yorkers, and Royal Greens, were one of the first Loyalist regiments, raised on June 19, 1776, in British Canada, durin ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

and served as the first Colonel of the Stormont Militia in 1792. His daughter Catherine (1821-1865) married

Donald Alexander Macdonald Donald Alexander Macdonald (February 17, 1817 – June 10, 1896) was a Canadian politician. Born in 1817 in St. Raphael's, Upper Canada, Donald Alexander Macdonald studied at St Raphael's College under the first Catholic Bishop of Onta ...

and his daughter Isabella (1825-1910) married

Jacob Farrand Pringle Jacob Farrand Pringle (July 27, 1816 - February 1, 1901) was a Canadian judge, soldier, and politician in Cornwall. Early life Jacob Farrand Pringle was born on June 27, 1816, in Valenciennes, France, to James Pringle and Ann Margaret Anderson ...

. He died at Fraserfield in 1853.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Alexander 1786 births 1853 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada Members of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada People from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry People from Highland (council area) Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Immigrants to Upper Canada Canadian justices of the peace