Fraser, Everett, 1879-1971

Everett Fraser was a professor of law at the University of Minnesota from 1917 to 1948. He also served as dean of the Law School.

Everett Fraser was born in Prince Edward Island, Canada in 1879. He attended Dalhousie University at Halifax, Nova Scotia, earning his degree in 1907. He then attended Harvard Law School, earning his law degree in 1910. Upon completion of his degree, he was immediately hired as assistant professor of law at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He became dean of the law program four years later. In 1917, Everett Fraser was appointed as professor of law at the University of Minnesota. In 1920, he became dean of the Law School and served in this position until his retirement from the University in 1948.

During his tenure at the University of Minnesota, Dean Fraser represented the University in legal court cases. One case of significance is the University of Minnesota v. Chase (1928-1929). This case went to the Minnesota State Supreme Court, ruling that the University Board of Regents was an autonomous agency and could not be controlled by state executive agencies and the Legislature.

After retiring from the University of Minnesota, Dean Fraser went on to teach at the University of California's Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. He continued to teach until 1965, at the age of 85. Dean Fraser passed away on November 18, 1970 in Lincoln, Massachusetts at the age of 92.