Andrew Henderson Leith Fraser

2021-02-13T20:03:04Z

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{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}
[[File:Sir Andrew Fraser.jpg|thumb|Sir Andrew Fraser]]
[[File:The grave of Sir Andrew Fraser, Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh.jpg|thumb|The grave of Sir Andrew Fraser, Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh]]
'''Sir Andrew Henderson Leith Fraser''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCSI}} (14 November 1848 – 26 February 1919) was a British officer of the [[Indian Civil Service]] and the [[List of Governors of Bengal|Lieutenant Governor of Bengal]] between 1903 and 1908.<ref name=Christie123>{{Harvnb|Christie|2005|p=123}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sitter: Sir Andrew Henderson Leith Fraser (1848-1919).|url=http://lafayette.org.uk/fra3644.html|publisher=Lafayette Negative Archive}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Born in Bombay on 14 November 1848,<ref>1851 and 1861 Scotland Census, 1871 England Census</ref> Fraser was educated at the [[Edinburgh Academy]] before being called to the Bar at the [[Middle Temple]].<ref name=Banglapedia>{{Citation |last=Islam |first=Sirajul |year=2012 |chapter=Fraser, Sir Andrew |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Fraser,_Sir_Andrew |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> He was a son of Rev. Alexander Garden Fraser (1814–1904) and Joanna Maria Shaw (1823–1864).

==Career==
He joined the [[Indian Civil Service]] in 1871, serving in the [[Central Provinces]] for nearly thirty years. In 1897, he was appointed a CSI and was knighted with the KCSI in 1902. During his service he rose to be the Chief Commissioner of Central Provinces in 1899 followed by President of Police Commission in 1902.<ref name=Banglapedia/> In 1903, he was selected the successor of James Bourdillon to the post of the [[List of Governors of Bengal|Lieutenant Governor of Bengal]].<ref name=Christie123/> He was elected President of [[The Asiatic Society]] for 1905–07.

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.<ref name=Banglapedia/>

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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65163466 |title=Sir Andrew Fraser. Attempt At Assassination. |newspaper=[[The North Western Advocate And The Emu Bay Times]] |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=5 December 1908 |access-date=27 December 2018 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133968936 |title=People Talked About. |newspaper=[[The World's News]] |issue=367 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=26 December 1908 |access-date=27 December 2018 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}, ''...Sir Andrew Henderson Leith Fraser, M.A., LL.D-, K.C.S.I.. Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal...''</ref>

He was succeeded in 1908 by Sir William Baker.

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 [[New Town, Edinburgh|Edinburgh's Second New Town]].<ref>Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1911</ref>

Andrew Henderson Leith Fraser died on 26 February 1919. He is buried in [[Dean Cemetery]] in [[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 Cpt Charles J. S. Fraser [[Military Cross|MC]] (d.1929) and Cpt Harry Lugard Fraser<ref>Grave of Sir Andrew Fraser, Dean Cemetery</ref> and Professor [[Alec Garden Fraser]], principal of Trinity College.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26941683 |title=India's Loyalty. |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |volume=XXXI |issue=4,089 |location=Western Australia |date=11 May 1915 |access-date=27 December 2018 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
*{{Citation
| surname1 = Christie
| given1 = Stuart
| year = 2005
| title = Worlding Forster: The Passage from Pastoral
| publisher = Routledge
| ISBN= 0-415-97214-0
}}.

==External links==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Andrew Henderson Leith}}
[[Category:1848 births]]
[[Category:1919 deaths]]
[[Category:People educated at Edinburgh Academy]]
[[Category:Scottish lawyers]]
[[Category:Lieutenant-governors of Bengal]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India]]
[[Category:Indian Civil Service (British India) officers]]
[[Category:Scottish civil servants]]
[[Category:Administrators in British India]]
[[Category:Presidents of The Asiatic Society]]

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Andrew Henderson Leith Fraser