 |
Jacobus Johannes Fouché
b. 6 Jun 1898, Wepener, Wepener District, Orange Free State
d. 23 Sep 1980, Cape Town, Cape Province, Republic of South Africa |
| Title: |
State President of the Republic of South Africa :: Staatspresident van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika |
| Term: |
10 Apr 1968 - 9 Apr 1975 |
| Chronology: |
19 Feb 1968, elected, session of an electoral college consisting of the members of the Senate and the House of Assembly, Cape Town [1] |
| |
10 Apr 1968, took an oath of office as State President, public ceremony, Groote Kerk, Cape Town [2] |
| |
9 Apr 1975,
expiration of term in accordance with Art. 10 (1) (a) of the Republic of South Africa Constitution Act, 1961 [3] |
| Names/titles: |
Also known as Jim Fouché |
| Biography: |
| Grew up on the family farm Babel in the district of Rouxville, going to school first at Rouxville, then later at Grey College, Bloemfontein; attended Paarl Boys' High School and studied at Victoria College, Stellenbosch; returned to the land at Rouxville where he became one of the leading farmers of the South-East Free State and a leader of his community; entered politics when he was elected a member of the House of Assembly on the ticket of the Reunited National Party (Herenigde Nasionale Party; from 1951 Nasionale Party), representing Smithfield (1941-1950); was appointed Administrator of the Orange Free State (1951-1959); served as defence minister (1959-1965) and minister of agricultural technical services and water affairs (1966-1968) in the governments of Hendrik Verwoerd and Balthazar Johannes Vorster; again elected as a member of the House of Assembly as a representative of Bloemfontein West (1960-1968); was second choice as successor to Charles Swart as State President, but Theophilus Ebenhaezer Dönges won the election; when Dönges failed to assume the office due to health reasons, he emerged as a compromise candidate and was nominated by the parliamentary caucus of the Nationalist Party (1 Feb 1968); elected State President (19 Feb 1968) and served a seven-year term (10 Apr 1968 - 9 Apr 1975). |
| Biographical sources: "Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa", ed. by Eric Rosenthal (London: Frederick Warne and Co., 1973), 6th edition; obituary: Rand Daily Mail, 24 Sep 1980, pp. 1, 5. |
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| [1] |
Government Gazette, No. 1987, Extra, 21 Feb 1968, p. 1; Rand Daily Mail, 20 Feb 1968, p. 1. |
| [2] |
Government Gazette, No. 2045, Extra, 10 Apr 1968, p. 1; Rand Daily Mail, 11 Apr 1968, pp. 1, 6. |
| [3] |
Government Gazette, No. 6671, Extra, 25 Apr 1961, pp. (1)-55. |
