George Fraser

George Fraser (died 1899) was a Canadian businessman and politician who served as Mayor of Halifax from 1881 to 1883 in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Career Early in his career, he worked as an accountant for Alexander Keith. He managed Alex. Keith & Son (now Alexander Keith's Brewery) during the 1860s.

Fraser acquired the controlling interests of Turtle Grove Brewery following John J. D. Oland's death in 1869, eventually renaming it the Army and Navy Brewery. He brought significant capital, business knowledge, and technical expertise to the brewery, upgrading outdated steam machinery with electric equipment, expanding the facilities to double capacity, excavating a storage cellar, and importing malt and hops from Europe, which helped the Army and Navy Brewery become a serious competitor to Alex. Keith & Son. Fraser formed a new partnership called Fraser, Oland, and Company in 1873 that included Oland's sons John Culverwell Oland and Conrad George Oland as well as William Lowe. In 1877, Fraser sold his stake to Susannah Oland, John Oland's mother, who renamed the firm S. Oland, Sons, and Company (now Oland Brewery).

Mayor of Halifax He was nominated for the office of mayor by Charles F. DeWolf on September 23, 1881. Fraser was elected as the 27th Mayor of the City of Halifax in October 1881, succeeding Stephen Tobin. He was put forward as a candidate for mayor in the 1882 municipal elections by William Chamberlain Silver. The following year, he was nominated again by Joseph Seeton. He held three successive one-year terms from 1881 to 1883. He was followed in office by James Crosskill Mackintosh. He later took up his permanent residence in Truro, Nova Scotia, in 1888.

Death In an incident reported on February 28, 1889, by The Truro Sun, Fraser fell down the stairs of his Truro residence the previous night, sustaining severe injuries that rendered him unconscious. He remained undiscovered until a household servant found him around 6:00 a.m. the following morning. The local press reported that his condition was grave, remaining unconscious with serious concerns about his recovery. Fraser's death had occurred by March 1, 1889, as reported in The Kingston Daily News.