Abraham Fischer (9 April 1850 – 16 November 1913)[3] was a South African statesman. He was the sole Prime Minister of the Orange River Colony in South Africa,[4] and when that ceased to exist joined the cabinet of the newly formed Union of South Africa.[5]
Abraham Fischer | |
|---|---|
 Abraham Fischer in 1900 | |
| 1st Prime Minister of the Orange River Colony | |
| In office 27 November 1907 – 31 May 1910 | |
| Monarchs | Edward VII George V |
| Governor | Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams |
| Preceded by | Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams As Governor of the Orange River Colony |
| Succeeded by | Louis Botha As Prime Minister of South Africa |
| 2nd Minister of the Interior of South Africa | |
| In office 1912 – 6 October 1913 | |
| Monarch | George V |
| Governor‑General | The Viscount Gladstone |
| Prime Minister | Louis Botha |
| Preceded by | Jan Christiaan Smuts |
| Succeeded by | Hendrik Schalk Theron |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Abraham Fischer 4 September 1850 Green Point, Cape Town Cape Colony |
| Died | 16 November 1913 (aged 63) Cape Town, Cape Province South Africa |
| Resting place | Woltemade Cemetery, Cape Town |
| Political party | Orangia Unie |
| Other political affiliations | South African Party |
| Spouse | Ada Robertson[1] |
| Children | Harry Fischer, Percy Fischer[2] |
| Profession | Attorney, Politician |
Early life
editFischer was born on 9 April 1850 in Green Point, Cape Town[6] in to Johannes Jacobus George Fischer, formerly of the Dutch East India Company, and Catherina Anna Margertha Brink.[7][8]
Biography
editHe was educated at the South African College, and became a lawyer in Cape Colony, joining the bar in 1875.[9] In 1873 he married Ana Robertson (1851-1927), the daughter of Scottish immigrants to the Free State.[1] He became interested in the politics of the Orange Free State, and in 1878 became a member of the Orange Free State's Volksraad.[9] He became vice-president of the Volksraad in 1893, a member of the executive council in 1896, and took part in many colonial and interstate conferences.[9] He headed a joint deputation from Transvaal and Orange Free State to Europe and America during the Boer War[10] to solicit support for the Boers, returning in 1903 to practice law in the newly formed Orange River Colony.[9]
Continuing to promote the Boer cause, he helped form the Orangia Unie party in May 1906 and became its chairman; the party won the majority of seats in the colony's first elections that were held in November 1907.[9] On 27 November, he was chosen as Prime Minister, and stayed in that position until it ceased to exist with the union of 31 May 1910.[9] He then joined the cabinet of the Union of South Africa as Minister of Lands. He was made Privy Councillor in 1911 and became Minister of the Interior and Lands in 1912.[10][9]
He was the father of Percy Fischer, a Judge President of the Orange Free State.[9] He was the grandfather of Bram Fischer, a noted anti-apartheid activist.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Clingman, Stephen (1998). Bram Fischer: Afrikaner revolutionary. David Philip Publishers. p. 8. ISBN 0-86486-677-1.
- ^ Clingman, Stephen (1998). Bram Fischer: Afrikaner revolutionary. David Philip Publishers. p. 9. ISBN 0-86486-677-1.
- ^ Rulers and Governments of the World, vol. 3- 1930 to 1975, Charles G. Allen, Bowker, 1977, p. 481
- ^ Clingman, Stephen (1998). Bram Fischer: Afrikaner revolutionary. David Philip Publishers. ISBN 0-86486-677-1.
- ^ Jacobs DS (1976). "Fischer, Abraham". In De Kock WJ, Krüger DW, Beyers CJ, Basson JL (eds.). Dictionary of South African Biography Vol I (2nd ed.). Cape Town: Tafelberg-Uitgewers. pp. 290–292. ISBN 0624008568. OCLC 1063845175.
- ^ Wessels, André (2006). "Fischer, Abraham (1850–1913), politician and lawyer in the Orange Free State". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/94551. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 13 July 2022. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ The Amazing Mr Fischer, Gerard Ludi and Blaar Grobbelaar, Nasionale Boekhandel, 1966, p. 1
- ^ Braam Fischer: The Man with Two Faces, Afrikaanse Pers, Chris Vermaak, 1963
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Standard encyclopaedia of Southern Africa / 4 Dev - For. Cape Town : Nasou. 1971. p. 541. ISBN 978-0-625-00320-4.
- ^ a b Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). . Encyclopedia Americana.
| External image | |
|---|---|
 Gravestone of Abraham and his wife Ada in Woltemade Cemetery, Cape Town. |