Johannes de Klerk’s biography, fact, career, awards, net worth and life story

Intro South African politician
A.K.A. Jan de Klerk
Was Politician
From South Africa
Type Politics
Gender male
Birth

22 July 1903, Burgersdorp

Death

24 January 1979, Krugersdorp
(aged 75 years)

Family
Children: Wimpie de KlerkF. W. de Klerk

Johannes “Jan” de Klerk, DMS (22 July 1903 – 24 January 1979) 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. 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 (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

You May Also Like

Matt Passmore’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

Matt Passmore Net Worth: Matt Passmore is an Australian actor who has a net worth of $5 million dollars. Born in Wynnum-Manly, Brisbane, Australia, in 1973, Matt Passmore enlisted in the Army during the ’90s before he took odd jobs after his discharge. Passmore eventually enrolled in the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, graduating in 2001, with fellow actor Heidi Arena. He made his on-screen debut on “Play School”, a children’s TV show, before landing the role of Pete in “Always Greener” in 2003. That year, he also played Brad on six episodes of “Blue Heelers”. He went on to appear on “The Cooks”, “The Alice”, “Last Man Standing”, and “McLeod’s Daughters”, a role he held from 2006 until 2009. He had parts in “Noir Drive”, “Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities”, and “Masterwork” before landing a part on TV series “The Cut” for six episodes. Soon after, he was cast on A&E’s “The Glades”. Passmore has since appeared on four seasons of the show from 2010 until 2013 as Jim Longworth. He then scored a part as Neil Truman on the 2014 series “Satisfaction”. Passmore married his high school sweetheart, Jacqui Passmore, in 1997 before their 2006 divorce. He dated “McLeod’s Daughters” co-star Rachael Carpani until 2011.
Read More