{{Short description|Canadian politician and engineer (1934–2024)|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Russell Gordon Fraser | image = | caption =
| constituency_AM = Vancouver South | assembly = British Columbia Legislative | term_start = May 5, 1983 | term_end = October 17, 1991 | alongside = Stephen Rogers | predecessor = Peter Hyndman | successor = ''Riding abolished''
| office1 = Attorney general of British Columbia | term_start1 = July 13, 1990 | term_end1 = November 5, 1991 | premier1 = Bill Vander Zalm<br>Rita Johnston | predecessor1 = Bud Smith | successor1 = Colin Gabelmann
| office2 = Solicitor general of British Columbia | term_start2 = November 1, 1989 | term_end2 = December 13, 1990 | premier2 = Bill Vander Zalm | predecessor2 = Angus Ree | successor2 = Ivan Messmer
| office3 = Minister of Post-Secondary Education of British Columbia | term_start3 = February 11, 1986 | term_end3 = November 6, 1986 | premier3 = Bill Bennett<br>Bill Vander Zalm | predecessor3 = Pat McGeer (Universities, Science and Communications) | successor3 = Stan Hagen (Continuing Education and Job Training)
| birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|1934|3|1}} | birth_place = Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | death_date = {{death date and age|2024|5|23|1934|3|1}} | death_place = | party = British Columbia Social Credit Party | alma_mater = University of British Columbia | profession = Engineer | spouse = Jone Fraser | children = }}
'''Russell Gordon Fraser''' (March 1, 1934 – May 23, 2024) was a Canadian politician and engineer who represented the constituency of Vancouver South in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1983 to 1991. A member of the British Columbia Social Credit Party (Socred) caucus, he served as cabinet minister under premiers Bill Bennett, Bill Vander Zalm and Rita Johnston.
==Biography== Born in Vancouver, Fraser graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1958 with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree, and served as president of the Association of Professional Engineers of British Columbia in 1979.<ref name="CPG">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NLCIAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Fraser,+Russell+Gordon%22|title=Guide Parlementaire Canadien|last=Normandin|first=Pierre G.|date=1985|publisher=Gale Canada|language=fr}}</ref><ref name="UBC1979">{{cite web|title=News |url=https://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/pdfs/chronicle/AL_CHRON_1979_2.pdf |work=UBC Alumni Chronicle, Summer 1979 |access-date=2025-12-22 |publisher=Alumni Association of the University of British Columbia }}</ref> He was a commissioner on the Vancouver Park Board from 1976 to 1982, serving as chair from 1980 to 1981.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://parkboardmeetings.vancouver.ca/pastcommissioners.htm |title=Board Commissioners |publisher=Vancouver Park Board |accessdate=2025-12-22 }}</ref>
He ran in the 1983 provincial election as a Social Credit candidate in Vancouver South, and was elected as one of two members of the legislative assembly (MLA) for the riding alongside Stephen Rogers.<ref name="elections">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1871-1986_ElectoralHistoryofBC.pdf |title=Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871-1986 |pages=346, 356 |publisher=Elections BC |accessdate=2025-12-22}}</ref>{{rp|346}} Initially a backbencher, he was named to Premier Bill Bennett's cabinet in February 1986 as Minister of Post-Secondary Education,<ref name="Exco">{{cite web|url=https://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/pubdocs/bcdocs/47984/execouncil.pdf|title=British Columbia Executive Council Appointments: 1871-1986|first1=Judith Antonik |last1=Bennett|first2=Frederike |last2=Verspoor|pages=68|publisher=British Columbia Legislative Library|year=1989|accessdate=2025-12-22}}</ref> and retained that role after Bill Vander Zalm took over as premier that August.<ref name="VanderZalmMinistry">{{cite web|title=Vander Zalm Cabinet: 33rd-34th Parliament 1986–1991 |url=http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/reference/vanderzalmcabinet.pdf|publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|accessdate=2025-12-22}}</ref>
He was re-elected MLA in the October 1986 election,<ref name="elections"/>{{rp|356}} but was dropped from Vander Zalm's cabinet that November in favour of Stan Hagen.<ref name="VanderZalmMinistry"/><ref name="SP861107">{{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=L0NgAAAAIBAJ&pg=1178,1923985 |title=New faces added to leaner B.C. cabinet |newspaper=Star-Phoenix |agency=Canadian Press |location=Saskatoon |page=48 |date=1986-11-07 |access-date=2025-12-22}}</ref> He returned to the cabinet in November 1989 as Solicitor General, and additionally became Attorney General in July 1990 following the resignation of Bud Smith; he stayed on as Solicitor General until that December.<ref name="VanderZalmMinistry"/>
After Vander Zalm's resignation in April 1991, he was considered for interim leader of the party (and thus premier), but lost the caucus vote on the fourth ballot to Rita Johnston by 21–17;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Baldrey |first=Keith |last2=Hunter |first2=Justine |last3=Hogben |first3=David |last4=Jeff |first4=Lee |date=1991-04-03 |title=Vander Zalm loyalist first woman premier |pages=A1–A2 |work=Vancouver Sun}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/vaughn-palmer-roadmap-on-how-to-fire-a-political-leader-runs-through-victoria |title=Vaughn Palmer: Roadmap on how to fire a political leader runs through Victoria |publisher=Vancouver Sun |first=Vaughn |last=Palmer |date=2013-12-03 |access-date=2025-12-22}}</ref> he remained as Attorney General in Johnston's cabinet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rita Johnston Cabinet: 34th Parliament 1991 |url=https://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/reference/johnstoncabinet.pdf|publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|accessdate=2025-11-10}}</ref> With the riding of Vancouver South being dissolved ahead of the October 1991 election, Fraser ran for re-election in the newly established constituency of Vancouver-Langara, but finished in third place as part of the Socreds' electoral collapse.<ref>{{cite web|title=1991 British Columbia Election |url=https://canadianelectionsdatabase.ca/PHASE5/?p=0&type=election&ID=380#page_1=constituency_3853|work=Canadian Elections Database|accessdate=2025-12-22}}</ref>
Fraser died on May 23, 2024, at the age of 90.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russell Gordon Fraser |url=https://vancouversunandprovince.remembering.ca/obituary/russell-fraser-1089855590 |access-date=2 June 2024 |publisher=Vancouver Sun |date=30 May 2024}}</ref>
==Electoral record== {{1991 British Columbia general election/Vancouver-Langara}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Johnston Ministry}} {{Vander Zalm Ministry}} {{Bill Bennett Ministry}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Russell}} Category:1934 births Category:2024 deaths Category:British Columbia Social Credit Party MLAs Category:20th-century Canadian engineers Category:Politicians from Vancouver Category:Attorneys general of British Columbia Category:Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia Category:Solicitors general of Canadian provinces Category:University of British Columbia Faculty of Applied Science alumni Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia