Sir Andrew Henderson Leith Fraser (14 November 1848 – 26 February 1919) was a British officer of the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

and the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal between 1903 and 1908.

Early life and education

Born in Bombay on 14 November 1848, Fraser was educated at the Edinburgh Academy before being called to the Bar at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

. He was a son of Rev. Alexander Garden Fraser (1814–1904) and Joanna Maria Shaw (1823–1864).

Career

He joined the

in 1871, serving in the Central Provinces for nearly thirty years. During his service he rose to be the Chief Commissioner of Central Provinces in 1899. In December 1902, Fraser was picked as the new Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, following the sudden death of Sir John Woodburn the previous month. He did not take up the position until the middle of 1903, however, first finishing his duties as President of the Indian Police Commission. Fraser retained the position of Governor of the Western province of Bengal following the 1905 Partition of Bengal. However, his role in the planning of partition of Bengal, earned him notoriety among nationalist agitators, with a notable assassination attempt in 1907 which attempted to derail his train. Another assassination attempt in November 1908 involved a pistol which failed to go off, the would-be assassin later declaring that he wanted to show Bengalis that even the Lieutenant-Governor was not invincible. He was succeeded in 1908 by Sir William Baker. He was elected President of The Asiatic Society for 1905–07. In 1897, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Star of India (CSI), and he was knighted with the KCSI in the 1903 Durbar Honours. Fraser 's published works include his memoirs ''Among Indian Rajahs and Ryots'' published in 1909, and ''India under Curzon and After'' published in 1911. He lived his final years at 22 Heriot Row in Edinburgh's Second New Town. Andrew Henderson Leith Fraser died on 26 February 1919. He is buried in Dean Cemetery in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, on the south wall of the north section, backing onto the original cemetery. The stone is very distinctive, carrying a St Andrews Cross in red granite by McGlashan. He is also the founder and the first principal of one of the biggest and most popular public school Rajkumar College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.

Family

His wife Henrietta died in 1952. Their children included the cricketers Patrick and Charles Fraser (d.1929) and the soldier Cpt Harry Lugard Fraser and Professor Alec Garden Fraser, principal of Trinity College.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Andrew Henderson Leith 1848 births 1919 deaths People educated at Edinburgh Academy Scottish lawyers Lieutenant-governors of Bengal Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Indian Civil Service (British India) officers 20th-century Scottish civil servants Presidents of The Asiatic Society Burials at the Dean Cemetery