William Fraser, 1st Baron Strathalmond

William Fraser, 1st Baron Strathalmond (3 November, 1888-1 April, 1970), was a Scottish businessman and a leading expert on the oil industry. He served as chairman of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (known as BP from 1954) from 1941 to 1956.

Fraser was the second son of William Fraser, of Glasgow, the founder of the Pumpherston Oil Company, and his wife Janet Loch. He joined his father's firm in 1909 and became a director in 1913 and joint managing director in 1915. He was awarded the MBE in 1918 for his work in increasing oil supply during the First World War. Fraser joined the board of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in 1923. He became deputy chairman (to John Cadman) in 1928, and played a great role in expanding the oil production in Iran, Iraq and Kuwait, becoming known as a leading expert on Middle East oil. In 1941 he succeeded Cadman as chairman, a post he retained until 1956 (the firm was renamed the British Petroleum Company in 1954). Fraser was also an adviser on oil affairs to the British government for many years, notably as petroleum adviser to the War Office and as chairman of the Oil Advisory Committee. He was knighted in 1939 and in 1955 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Strathalmond, of Pumpherst in the County of Midlothian.

Lord Strathalmond married Mary Roberton McLintock, daughter of Thomas McLintock, in 1913. They had one son and one daughter. Lord Strathalmond died in April 1970, aged 81. He was succeeded in the barony by his only son William.

He is buried in Putney Vale Cemetery.

References

*William, E. T., Nicholls, C. S (editors). "The Dictionary of National Biography, 1961-1970". Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981.
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). "Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage" (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.