Having joined the US Navy ROTC, he was placed on active duty in July 1942 and continued his naval studies on campus until February 1944, when he was commissioned an officer and sent to the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Fraser engaged in general law practice and served as municipal attorney for the suburban community of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

He married Arvonne Skelton in 1950 and the following year, they had the first of their six children: Thomas, Mary, John, Lois, Anne, and Jean.

[2] Fraser is now best known for his work as the chair of the International Organizations and Movements subcommittee, a post he used to hold hearings on human rights violations in U.S. allies.

Fraser received the endorsement of the DFL but was narrowly defeated by the more conservative businessman Bob Short.

[7] He left office on January 3, 1994, and was succeeded by the city's first female and first African-American mayor, Sharon Sayles Belton.