Sir Malcolm Fraser, 1st Baronet

Captain Sir John Malcolm Fraser, 1st Baronet GBE (24 December 1878–4 May 1949) was a British journalist and political adviser.

Fraser was born in Hampstead, London. He became a journalist and rose rapidly to become assistant editor of "The Standard". He was then successively editor of the "Evening Standard" and "St James's Gazette", day editor of the "Daily Express", and editor-in-chief of the "Birmingham Gazette", "Birmingham Dispatch" and other papers in the same group. In 1910 Arthur Balfour appointed him adviser on press matters to the Conservative Party.

In November 1915, Fraser was commissioned Temporary Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Air Service (Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve), [LondonGazette |issue=29390 |date=3 December 1915 |startpage=12055] and specialised in airships. He was promoted Temporary Lieutenant-Commander in February 1917 [LondonGazette |issue=29954 |date=20 February 1917 |startpage=1773 ] and ended the First World War as Deputy Director of Aircraft Production at the Admiralty with the rank of Captain. On the formation of the Royal Air Force in 1918 he stayed in the Royal Navy instead of transferring to the RAF with most other RNAS officers.

After the war he returned to Conservative Party headquarters and was appointed Honorary Principal Agent in 1920. He headed the government's "British Gazette" during the 1926 General Strike.

Fraser was knighted in 1919 for his services to the Admiralty, [LondonGazette |issue=31316 |date=29 April 1919 |startpage=5421 |supp=yes ] created a Baronet in the 1921 Birthday Honours, [LondonGazette |issue=32346 |date=4 June 1921 |startpage=4530 |endpage= |supp=yes] and appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 1922.

Footnotes

References

*Obituary, "The Times", 6 May 1949