Henry John Fraser
Henry John Fraser (1848-1889)
1890 Obituary [1]
HENRY JOHN FRASER, the eldest son of the late Mr. John Fraser, of Leeds, was born at Pudsey, near that town, on the 20th March, 1848.
He was articled to his father (1866-1870) and on the completion of his pupilage had responsible charge of the works required in the construction of the Bradford, Eccleshill and Idle, and the Idle and Shipley Railways, and from 1874 to their completion in 1879, of the Bradford and Thornton Railways, including very heavy viaduct, tunnel, bridge and other works.
He also had charge of the Halifax section of the Halifax, Thornton and Keighley Railways, including a tunnel 1.5 mile long. From July 1878 to 1880, he was engaged on the extension of the last named railway from Thornton to Keighley. During this latter period he became a partner with his father, and was also engaged in preparing the designs ; for the remaining works on the last named railway, the contract for which was let in October, 1880, including viaducts, tunnels and other works of a heavy character of which he also had personal charge.
Mr. Fraser assisted in the preliminary work and the construction of the extensive system of railways from Newark to Bottesford, Bottesford to Melton, Melton to Tilton, Tilton to Leicester (over 50 miles), and the preliminary work of the Tilton to Market Harborough railways (21 miles). On the death of his father, in 1881, he was joined by his brother-in-law, W. Beswick Myers, and they, under the name of John Fraser and Sons, completed the Thornton to Keighley and Tilton to Leicester sections of the above railways.
They also carried out the preliminary work and construction of several other important connecting lines in Yorkshire, viz., the Crofton Branch and the Dewsbury Branch, and had nearly completed the construction of the line from Beeston to Batley, the Harrow and Stanmore Railway, the Halifax High Level Railways, and (in conjunction with Sir Douglas Fox) the Driffield to Market Weighton section of the Scarborough Bridlington and West Riding Junction railways.
In addition to the above he and his partner were engaged on several other important railway schemes, amongst which were the Lowmoor to Dudley Hill and the extension of the Pudsey Railway.
Mr. Fraser, who became a member of the Institution on the 2nd of March, 1880, had been in ill health for some time, and died at Ganthorpe House, near York, on the 13th October, 1889, in the forty-second year of his age.