The young and eminently successful gentleman whose name appears above is one of the leading men of Malheur county, being the owner of a controlling interest in the Malheur Mercantile Company, a large general merchandise establishment of Ontario, which does an immense business not only from the country adjacent to Ontario, but also from the interior of Malheur and Harney counties. Our subject was born in Woodstock, Canada, on September 2, 1870, being the son of George and Sarah (Sheperd) Fraser. He attended the common school, and at the age of twelve was ready to enter the Upper Canada College of Toronto, whence he graduated in the spring of 1886. His parents came to Indiana and he came, at the age of eighteen years, to Ontario. April, 1888 was the date of his landing here and he soon was in the employ of Kissel, Shilling & Danielson, of the Oregon Forwarding Company, in the capacity of bookkeeper and clerk. In this position, he performed faithful service until 1900, when he purchased the controlling interest in the R. D. Greer Mercantile Company, changing the name to the Malheur Mercantile Company, which is incorporated. Mr. Fraser is manager and secretary of the company, and they carry a large stock of goods in dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, hardware, gents furnishings, and in fact in every line which is used in the vast territory, whence comes the many hundreds of patrons that visit their commodious store, one of the finest in this section of the country. In addition to their large store building, they have two spacious warehouses filled with goods. The firm is a very popular one of the country, and our subject is among the very leaders of the business world of eastern Oregon. The fair treatment always extended to patrons, the spirit of accommodation, and the wise business methods used in selecting and purchasing goods, makes this firm one of great prominence and accounts for its unbounded success and the credit for this pleasant state of affairs is largely due to the wisdom and ability of the subject of this sketch. Mr. Fraser is also a director of the Owyhee ditch and one of the directors of the Ontario opera house, having stock in both companies.
The marriage of Mr. Fraser and Miss Ida, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Holland, was solemnized on October 4, 1899, and they have been blessed by the advent of one son, Edmund A., Jr. Fraternally Mr. Fraser is identified with the I. O. O. F., being past grand of the order, Lodge No. 90, at Ontario; and is a Master Mason and treasurer of Acacia Lodge, N0. 118, A. F. & A. M.
