Fraser began his career as a businessman in the central British Columbia town of Quesnel, located in the Cariboo region.

During World War II, he enlisted and served in the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps in British Columbia and Ontario from 1942 until his discharge in March 1946.

In 1950 Fraser was elected reeve (later mayor) of Quesnel, a position he held for the next twenty years.

Fraser moved from local to provincial politics in 1969, winning the Cariboo riding for the British Columbia Social Credit Party.

The Research Forest is operated by the University of British Columbia Faculty of Forestry, and is located east of Williams Lake.