Tom Fraser

For the English football player, see Tommy Fraser.

Tom Fraser PC (18 February 1911 – 21 November 1988) was a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for the Hamilton constituency between 1943 and 1967.[1] He was Minister of Transport from October 16, 1964 until December 23, 1965. In December 1965 he introduced the 70 mph (113 km/h) speed limit on motorways as an emergency measure[2] following a series of multiple crashes on motorways mainly in fog.[3] Throughout his tenure as Minister, he authorised the closure 1,071 miles of railway lines, following the recommendations from the Beeching Report. However, he went further, and authorised the closure of lines that Beeching had considered worthy of retention.[4] In 1967 he resigned from Parliament to become chairman of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board.

He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1964.

Notes

  1. ↑ "Candidates and Constituency Assessments: Hamilton South".
  2. ↑ Walter Harris (2005-12-13). "Politicians and the pleasures of fast cars". The Independent.
  3. ↑ David Benson (1966). "Four of the reasons why there's a good time coming". The Daily Express. Archived from the original on 2004-01-05.
  4. ↑ David Henshaw: The Great Railway Conspiracy. p. 165 (3rd Edition, 2013) ISBN 978-0-957651 1-0-4

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Duncan Macgregor Graham		 Member of Parliament for Hamilton
1943–1967 		Succeeded by
Winnie Ewing
Political offices
Preceded by
Ernest Marples		 Minister of Transport
1964–1965 		Succeeded by
Barbara Castle
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