Peter Fraser

Peter Fraser 1884-1950, New Zealand political leader, b. Scotland. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1910. Previously active in Labour politics in London, he was elected to Parliament in 1918, becoming Labour party leader there. As minister of education, health, and marine (1935-40), he helped draft the Social Security Act of 1938. As prime minister (1940-49) he mobilized the country for war. He helped create the United Nations (1945), advocating protection for small countries. After economic unrest led to his downfall in 1949, he led the opposition in Parliament.

Fraser, Peter (1884–1950) New Zealand statesman. He was gaoled during World War I for opposing conscription, and upon his release joined the New Zealand Labour Party. Elected to Parliament in 1918, he became the party's deputy leader in 1933, and Prime Minister (1940–49). One of the architects of the United Nations (1945), he held a life-long commitment to equality in education, and the modern New Zealand education system is perhaps his most enduring monument.

Fraser, Peter (1884–1950),son of a Scottish cobbler, served as New Zealand's prime minister from 1940 to 1949. After emigrating to New Zealand at the age of 26 he was, by September 1939, deputy prime minister in Michael Savage's Labour government. But Savage (1872–1940) was a sick man and it fell to Fraser to put his country on to a war footing after New Zealand had declared war on Germany at midnight on 3 September 1939. In March 1940 Savage died and Fraser became prime minister. Though he sometimes vetoed proposals for the disposition of New Zealand troops, he proved to be a staunch supporter of the Allied cause and was in regular personal contact with Churchill and Roosevelt, attending war cabinet meetings when in London. In 1944 he was voted back into office, though with a reduced majority. He was a strong supporter of the United Nations and was present at its foundation at the San Francisco conference in April 1945. See also New Zealand, 3.