He was a veteran of the Boer War and an internationally successful tennis player becoming the champion, along with his mixed doubles partner, Irene Peacock, of the World Covered Court Championships in 1920.

[4] This changed, however, when his father died in mid March, and a request was put to him to stand in the City of Wellington electorate to fill the vacancy.

[8][9] The New Liberals suffered considerable damage from the so-called "voucher incident", in which Fisher alleged that Richard Seddon's son had been received payment from a government department for work he had not done.

[12] By the next general election in 1914, the incumbent Fisher as a government minister contested Wellington Central against Fletcher again, and he was decisively beaten by 2677 votes to 4910.

After the war, in 1919, he stood as the Conservative candidate in the Widnes by-election in Lancashire, England, where he was defeated by Labour's Arthur Henderson.

[3] A top New Zealand tennis player, both at home and abroad, Fisher reached the final of the Australasian Open in 1906 but was defeated by Anthony Wilding.

In doubles he partnered with Major Ritchie to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 1919 and with Alfred Beamish for runner-up at the 1920 World Covered Court Championships [WCCC].