Charles Robberts Swart

His Excellency Charles Robberts Swart
1st State President of South Africa
In office 31 May 1961 – 1 June 1967
Preceded by	Elizabeth II as Queen of South Africa
Succeeded by	Jozua François Naudé
Governor-General of South Africa
In office 11 December 1959 – 30 April 1961
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Lucas Cornelius Steyn as Officer Administering the Government
Succeeded by	Lucas Cornelius Steyn as Officer Administering the Government
Personal details
Born	5 December 1894(1894-12-05)[1] Winburg, Orange Free State
Died	16 July 1982(1982-07-16) (aged 87) Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, South Africa[2][3]
Political party	National Party
Spouse(s)	Cornelia Wilhelmina (Nellie) de Klerk
Children	3
Alma mater	University of the Free State Cambridge University
Occupation	Lawyer
Religion	Dutch Reformed Church

Charles Robberts Swart (5 December 1894 – 16 July 1982) served as the last Governor-General of Union of South Africa from 1960 to 1961 and the first State President of the Republic of South Africa from 1961 to 1967.

Early life

Swart was born on 5 December 1894 on the farm Morgenzon, in the Winburg district, part of the Boer republic of the Orange Free State (which became a British colony in 1902 and a province of the Union of South Africa in 1910)^[4]

He was the third of six children, born to Hermanus Bernardus Swart (1866–1949) and Aletta Catharina Robberts (1870–1929). The Anglo Boer War (Second Boer War) broke out when he was 5 years old. During the war his mother and the children were interned at the Winburg concentration camp. Of the three boys only two survived the concentration camp. His father was wounded and captured by the British during the Battle of Paardeberg. He became a prisoner of war and stayed in Groenpunt and Simonstad until the end of the war.

When Swart was 7 years old he went to the government school in Winburg. He later went to a C.N.O school, which is a school set up by the Afrikaner in response to Lord Milner's anglicisation policy at the government sponsored schools. Later on the schools merged again with the result that he move moved up a grade. He was only 13 years old when he passed his higher exam (matric or last year of school).

He established himself as a barrister in 1914. He spent a brief period in Hollywood acting in silent films, before embarking on his public career. He practised law in Bloemfontein from 1919 to 1948. He earned a degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York in 1921-1922. He reported briefly from Washington for the Die Burger newspaper. ^[5]

Public life

In 1923 he was elected to the House of Assembly as Member of Parliament for Ladybrand until he was defeated in 1938. He became leader of the National Party in the Orange Free State and MP for Winburg in 1939. As a staunch republican, he was a member of the National Party for many years. He was appointed Minister of Justice when the National Party came to power in 1948, and was responsible for legislation to strengthen the powers of the South African Police to suppress anti-apartheid activity. From 1949–1950 he held the portfolio for Education, Arts and Science and became acting Prime Minister in 1958.

Swart was appointed Governor-General in 1960. Like his predecessor, Dr Jansen, he declined to take the oath of allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II or to wear the ceremonial uniform. In a referendum later that year, a small majority of White voters endorsed a government proposal to establish a republic. In 1961, after signing the new republican constitution passed by Parliament, he asked the Queen to release him from office, and Parliament then elected him as State President, the new post which replaced the monarch and the governor-general as ceremonial head of state. Nelson Mandela and other underground black resistance leaders tried to protest against the change of government to the new republican, Afrikaner-dominated system by planning a three-day general strike of non-white workers, but the government preemptively averted most of these plans through an extensive use of police force to persecute the dissenters.^[6]

Although elected for a seven-year term office, Swart served as State President for only six years, and retired in 1967. He died in 1982. Swart was popularly known as "Blackie" (Swart is Afrikaans for "black").^[7][8]

Legacy

The tallest building in Bloemfontein, South Africa (CR Swart Building), which houses the provincial administration and various governmental departments was named after him. This building is also known as 'The Pride of the Free State' and houses a revolving restaurant on the 26th floor.

External links

• Photograph of the first D.F. Malan Cabinet of 1948
• Signed 1951 photograph of D.F Malan, J. G. Strijdom and C. R. Swart

References

Notes

1. ^ Charles Robberts (Blackie) Swart, first state president of South Africa, is born, This day in history, South African History Online
2. ^ Obituary: Charles Swart, ex-South African leader, Lakeland Ledger – 17 Jul 1982
3. ^ Former State President C.R. Swart dies, This day in history, South African History Online
4. ^ Kruger, Jannie (1961). President C.R. Swart. Kaapstad Bloemfontein Johannesburg: Nasionale Boekhandel. pp. 1. 
5. ^ Obituary: Charles Swart, ex-South African leader, Lakeland Ledger – 17 Jul 1982
6. ^ A War Won, TIME Magazine, 9 June 1961
7. ^ http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/index/extra-dates/twih-extra-pop-13-07-19-07-2008.html
8. ^ This article is predominantly based on the information derived from Schirmer, Peter (1981). "Swart, Charles Robberts". Swart, Charles Robberts. Johannesburg: Central News Agency. pp. 182. 

Literature

• Schirmer, Peter (1981). "Swart, Charles Robberts". Swart, Charles Robberts. Johannesburg: Central News Agency. pp. 182. 

Political offices
Preceded by Lucas Cornelius Steyn	Governor-General of South Africa 1959–1961	Position abolished South Africa became a republic
New title	State President of South Africa 1961–1967	Succeeded by Jozua François Naudé

Persondata
Name	Swart, Charles Roberts
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	5 December 1894
Place of birth	Winburg, Orange Free State
Date of death	16 July 1982
Place of death	Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, South Africa