 |
Lucas Cornelius Steyn
b. 21 Dec 1903, Geluksdam, Viljoenskroon disctrict, Orange River Colony
d. 28 Jul 1976, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa |
| Title: |
Officer Administering the Government of the Union of South Africa :: Amptenaar Belas met die Uitoefening van die Uitvoerende Gesag van die Unie van Suid-Afrika |
| Term: |
3 Sep 1959 - ?? Nov 1959 |
| Chronology: |
3 Sep 1959, appointed by an instrument bearing the Royal Sign Manual and Signet of the Union of South Africa in accordance with Art. VI of the Letters Patent Relating to the Office of Governor-General of the Union of South Africa [1] |
| |
3 Sep 1959, took an oath of office as Officer Administering the Government, Libertas (official residence of the Prime Minister), Pretoria [2] |
| |
?? Nov 1959, ceased to exercise the duties of the office of Governor-General of the Union of South Africa upon the _______________ of an incumbent [3] |
| Term: |
26 Nov 1959 - 12 Jan 1960 |
| |
25 Nov 1959, appointed by an instrument bearing the Royal Sign Manual and Signet of the Union of South Africa in accordance with Art. VI of the Letters Patent Relating to the Office of Governor-General of the Union of South Africa [4] |
| |
26 Nov 1959, took an oath of office as Officer Administering the Government, Libertas (official residence of the Prime Minister), Pretoria [5] |
| |
12 Jan 1960, ceased to exercise the duties of the office of Governor-General of the Union of South Africa upon the inauguration of an incumbent [6] |
| Term: |
1 May 1961 - 31 May 1961 |
| Chronology: |
1 May 1961, duties of the office of Governor-General of the Union of South Africa devolved upon the officer designated by Art. VI of the Letters Patent Relating to the Office of Governor-General of the Union of South Africa due to the removal of an incumbent [7] |
| |
1 May 1961, took an oath of office as Officer Administering the Government, Cape Town [8] |
| |
31 May 1961, the office of Governor-General of the Union of South Africa ceased to exist with the commencement of the Republic of South Africa Constitution Act, 1961 (Afrikaans: Grondwet van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika, 1961) [8] |
| Biography: |
| Educated at Kroonstad secondary school; enrolled as a student at the University of Stellenbosch (1921), where he obtained bachelor of arts (1923) and bachelor of laws (1926) degrees; was appointed student-assistant in law (1926); lectured in Roman-Dutch law at the University of Stellenbosch (1926-1928); admitted as an advocate in the Cape (1928) and joined the public service as professional assistant to the Attorney-General of South West Africa; continued to study and obtained the master of laws degree (1929) and doctor of laws degree (1931) at the University of Stellenbosch; appointed Attorney-General of South West Africa (1931-1933); was made legal adviser to the Department of External Affairs (1933) and later in the same year to the Department of Justice in Pretoria, where he also worked as legal draftsman until 1944; appointed King's Counsel (1943) and was senior legal adviser to the Union government (1944-1951), in which capacity he represented the country overseas on international problems; served as one of the South African delegates to the United Nations (1946-1949) and South Africa's legal adviser at the International Court (1950); appointed a judge of the Transvaal Provincial Division (1951); promoted to judge of appeal (1955); served as Chief Justice of the Union of South Africa (4 Apr 1959 - 31 May 1961) and Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa (31 May 1961 - 1 Feb 1971); assumed the functions of Governor-General of the Union during the illness and subsequent death of Ernest George Jansen (3 Sep 1959 - ?? Nov 1959, 26 Nov 1959 - 12 Jan 1960) and after the resignation of Charles Swart (1 May 1961 - 30 May 1961), acting as Officer Administering the Government of the Union of South Africa. |
| Biographical sources: "Retirement of the Chief Justice, Mr Justice L C Steyn", by Ellison Kahn, in The South African Law Journal, vol. LXXXVIII (part I), 1971, pp. 1-8; "Dictionary of South African Biography", ed. by W.J. de Kock, D.W. Krüger (et al.) (Pretoria: Nasional Boekhandel Bpk. for National Council for Social Research, Dept. of Higher Education, 1968-1987), 5 vols; obituary: Rand Daily Mail, 29 Jul 1976, p. 7. |
| |
| [1] |
Government Gazette, No. 6278, 11 Sep 1959, p. 4. |
| [2] |
Rand Daily Mail, 4 Sep 1959, p. 3. |
| [3] |
Rand Daily Mail, 26 Nov 1959, p. 1. |
| [4] |
Government Gazette, No. 6323, 4 Dec 1959, p. 5. |
| [5] |
Rand Daily Mail, 27 Nov 1959, p. 1. |
| [6] |
Government Gazette, No. 6348, Extra, 12 Jan 1960, p. (1). |
| [7] |
Government Gazette, No. 6681, 12 May 1961, p. 3. |
| [8] |
Rand Daily Mail, 2 May 1961, p. 1. |
| [9] |
Government Gazette, No. 6671, Extra, 25 Apr 1961. |
