William Alex Fraser QSO (28 July 1924 – 13 January 2001) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

In 1943 he gained his flying badge was posted to the Solomon Islands where he saw action conducting bombings, strafing runs and photographic reconnaissance.

At the 1947 local body elections he stood as a candidate for the St Kilda Borough Council, but was unsuccessful.

[2] In 1953 Fraser was elected a member of the Dunedin City Council serving one three-year term before being defeated in 1956.

[2] Dorothy worked for many years as his unpaid electorate secretary and it was said by contemporaries such as Warren Freer that Fraser was overshadowed by his wife, who was a Dunedin City Councillor and chairperson of the Otago Hospital Board, with many thinking that she was better qualified to be in Parliament than him.

[2] He developed a good working relationship with Norman Kirk (whom he shared a flat in Wellington with) and encouraged him to seek the party leadership.

Two days later it prompted Eric Holland, the Minister of Housing, to announce the government would introduce an identical policy.

Rowling reshuffled the cabinet and appointed Fraser as Minister of Defence and gave the Housing portfolio to Roger Douglas, but hastened to say the change was not a demotion and that it was due to a lack of experienced ministers with military experience (Fraser's cabinet ranking remained unchanged).

[2] However Fraser was on the outer with Rowling and his deputy Bob Tizard and did not enjoy as good a relationship with them as he had with Kirk.

[15] The reputation soured further after Rowling later told journalists that he felt Fraser's progress on housing was insufficient and therefore had to go.

This, combined with a new intake of ambitious MPs after Labour's failure to regain government in 1978, led him to believe his future prospects in politics were dim.

"[2] As a former carpenter Fraser occupied time in retirement repairing and renovating Labour's Dunedin South branch office.