He founded the Genuine Parts Company with his brother in 1928 and the Stuttering Foundation of America in 1947, giving the latter most of its $10 million endowment.
However, when instructed to speak on stage in a presentation to a group of eminent physicians, he "couldn't utter a single syllable"; he would remember that experience for many years, "even at age 90".
He subsequently contacted Charles Van Riper, an expert in the field, who would eventually receive research grants from the foundation and work on various projects including a study on the effect of avoidance on stuttering, and a conference of experts that attempted to reach some agreement on general guidelines for a comprehensive program on stuttering.
[3] Fraser would eventually give the foundation most of its US$10 million endowment, and write Self-Therapy for the Stutterer, first published in 1978, a book that has been called a classic,[5] and has been translated into eight languages.
In 1989, Hamilton College presented him with the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters for his outstanding work on behalf of those who stutter.