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Famous Scots - Hugh Fraser Sir Bt
Sir Hugh Fraser BT
Schooled in Melrose and at Kelvinside Academy (Glasgow), Fraser was destined to join the family business. By 1966, when he took over the House of Fraser empire from his father, Lord Fraser of Allander (1903-66), the department store was going out of vogue and he inherited surplus capacity in many towns. Fraser became involved in many other ventures, through his Scottish and Universal Investments (SUITS) holding company. He was Chairman of the House of Fraser (1966-81), Binns (1966-76), Harrods (1966-76), George Outram and the whisky producers White and Mackay (from 1973).
By the time of his death, he was a director of more than 15 companies across the retailing, clothing, textiles and food sectors. However, he was convicted of improper financial dealings involving SUITS yet, following difficulties with the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and a protracted battle with the Lonrho conglomerate, he was able to sell House of Fraser to the Al Fayed brothers for ?615 million in 1985. Fraser lived on the family estate at Mugdock (Stirling) which he gifted as a country park in 1981. He relinquished his father's peerage, but succeeded to his baronetcy, although this expired on Fraser's death as he had no male heirs. Fraser received an honorary doctorate from Stirling University. He set up the Hugh Fraser Foundation in 1960 which purchased the island of Iona from the Duke of Argyll when the Duke came upon hard times. In 1979, the foundation gave the island to the National Trust for Scotland in memory of Fraser's father.
Headstone Photograph
Further Information
Title: SIR BT
Firstname: HUGH
LastName: FRASER
Date of Death: 5th May 1987
Age at Death: 51
Cemetery: Kilmaronock Cemetery
Sirling Road
Gartocharn
Region: Glasgow and Clyde Valley
Country: Scotland
Please Note, the marker on this map indicates the Cemetery location, not the location of a particular grave.
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