Johannes de Klerk

Jan de Klerk


State President of South Africa (acting)
In office 9 April 1975 – 19 April 1975
Preceded by	Jim Fouché
Succeeded by	Nico Diederichs
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 1961–1966
Personal details
Born	(1903-07-22)22 July 1903 Burgersdorp, Cape Colony
Died	24 January 1979(1979-01-24) (aged 75) Krugersdorp, Transvaal Province, South Africa
Political party	National Party
Spouse(s)	Hendrina Cornelia Coetzer
Children	Wimpie de Klerk F. W. de Klerk
Alma mater	Potchefstroom University
Religion	Reformed

Johannes "Jan" de Klerk, DMS (22 July 1903 – 24 January 1979)^[1] was a South African politician. He was the father of F. W. de Klerk, the last State President of South Africa.

As a member of the National Party, de Klerk served as interim State President for nine days following the retirement of Jacobus Johannes Fouché in 1975.^[2] Prior to this, he served as a Senator (1955–1975), Minister of Work and Public Works (1954–1958), Work and Mines (1958–1961), Home Affairs, Work and Immigration (1961), Home Affairs, Education and Arts and Sciences (1961–1966), Education, Arts and Sciences and Information (1966–1967) and National Education (1968–1969), and President of the Senate from 1969 to 1976.

Biography

Son of Reverend Willem de Klerk and his wife Aletta Johanna van Rooy, Jan de Klerk was born 22 July 1903 in Burgersdorp. He spent his childhood in Potchefstroom, in South-West Transvaal. Graduating from Potchefstroom University^[3] (1926) where he was the President of the Student Union, he married Hendrina Cornelia Coetzer on 27 April 1927, and had two sons, Willem Johannes (Wimpie) and Frederik Willem (F.W.).

From 1927 to 1945, Jan de Klerk worked in Nylstroom and Witwatersrand. He was headteacher of a school, and secretary of a white workers' trade union. In January 1947, he became administrative secretary of the National Party for the Rand region and in 1948, chief secretary of the NP of Transvaal. From 1949 to 1955, he was a member of the provincial council of Transvaal.

In 1954, Jan de Klerk was named senator and Minister of Work and Public Works in the government of his brother-in-law, Prime Minister JG Strijdom. This nomination provoked controversy due to the relationship between the two men.

He was a minister in the governments of Hendrik Verwoerd and John Vorster. Until 1969, he successively dealt with mines, home affairs, immigration, and education. While Minister of Education, he helped found the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) in Johannesburg and the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE), while also chancellor of the University of Potchefstroom (PU vir CHO). He was twice approached to be honorary president of the republic in 1967 and 1968.

By the time of his retirement from the Cabinet, de Klerk had been a cabinet minister for more than fifteen years and was rewarded with the Decoration for Meritorious Service

From 1969 to 1976, he presided over the Senate or upper house of the South African parliament, and this meant that he was briefly interim President of South Africa in 1975. He retired from political life, and died in Krugersdorp on 24 January 1979.

Legacy

A school in Krugersdorp is named in honour of Jan de Klerk.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Johannes de Klerk

16. Barend de Klerk

8. Johannes Cornelis de Klerk

17. Maria van der Heyden

4. Barend Jacobus de Klerk

18. Daniel Wilhelmus Schoeman

9. Martha Margaretha Schoeman

19. Anna Catharina Hattingh

2. Willem Johannes de Klerk

20. Douw Gerbrand Grobler

10. Jacobus Johannes Grobler

21. Johanna Cornelia Coetzer

5. Maria Jacoba Grobler

22. Josef Adriaan Coetzee

11. Johanna Susanna Lasya Coetzee

23. Francina Hendrina Barendina Kruger

1. Johannes de Klerk

24. Henricus van Rooij

12. Johannes Cornelis van Rooy

25. Clara Kuijpers

6. Johannes Cornelis van Rooy

26. Charles Holsters

13. Anne Françoise Holsters

27. Petronella de Gieter

3. Aletta Johanna van Rooy

28. Stephanus Albertus Smit

14. Jacobus Albertus Smit

29. Susanna Maria de Klerk

7. Aletta Johanna Smit

30. Jacobus Petrus Erasmus Smit

15. Aletta Johanna Smit

31. Martha Gerbrechta Sophia de Klerk

External links

Biography

References

Political offices
Preceded by John Vorster	Minister of Education, Arts and Sciences Minister of National Education 1961–1969	Succeeded by Johannes Petrus van der Spuy
Preceded by Jozua François Naudé	Minister of Home Affairs 1961–1966	Succeeded by P. K. Le Roux
Preceded by Ben Schoeman	Minister of Work 1954–1961	Succeeded by Alfred Trollip
Preceded by Ben Schoeman	Minister of Public Works 1954–1958	Succeeded by Paul Sauer
Preceded by Jozua François Naudé	President of the Senate of South Africa 1969–1976	Succeeded by Marais Viljoen

Ministers of Education in South Africa

pre-Apartheid	Hofmeyr

Apartheid-era	J. de Klerk van der Spuy F. W. de Klerk Hartzenberg Viljoen Louw Pienaar Marais

Post-apartheid	Bengu Asmal Pandor

Home affairs ministers of South Africa

pre-Apartheid (1910-1948)	Smuts Fischer Theron Watt Duncan Malan Hofmeyr Stuttaford Lawrence Clarkson Lawrence

Apartheid-era (1948-1994)	Dönges Naudé J. de Klerk Le Roux Muller Viljoen Gerdener Mulder Schlebusch Heunis F. W. de Klerk Botha Louw Pienaar Schutte

Post-Apartheid (1994-present)	Buthelezi Mapisa-Nqakula Dlamini-Zuma Pandor Gigaba

Heads of State of South Africa

Monarch (1910–1961)	George V Edward VIII George VI Elizabeth II

State President (1961–1994) (under Apartheid)	Swart Dönges Naudé* Fouché J. de Klerk* Diederichs Viljoen* Vorster Viljoen Botha F. W. de Klerk

President (from 1994) (post-Apartheid)	Mandela Mbeki Motlanthe Zuma

*Acting President

Presidents of the Senate and NCOP of South Africa

First Senate (1910-1981)	Reitz Van Heerden Kerr Van Niekerk Malan Myburgh Wessels Van Niekerk Naudé De Klerk Viljoen Kruger

Second Senate (1994-1997)	Coetsee

National Council of Provinces (1997-present)	Lekota Pandor Kgoali Mahlangu Modise

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