Johannes de Klerk

Johannes " Jan" de Klerk ( born July 22, 1903 in Burgersdorp, Cape Colony, † January 24, 1979 in Krugersdorp, Transvaal ) was a South African politician.

Biography

First, he was from 1954 to 1958 Minister of Labour and Public Works in the Cabinet of his brother, Prime Minister John Gerhardus Strijdom. In the cabinet of Prime Minister Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd, he held 1958-1961, the Office of the Minister of Labour and mining. In addition, de Klerk was in 1955 elected to the Senate, where he served until 1976.

After the transformation of South Africa into a republic on 31 May 1961 he was appointed as the successor of Jozua François Naudé of Prime Minister Verwoerd Secretary of the Interior in the government and was part of this until the death of Verwoerd on 6 September 1966. At the same time he was in 1961 for a short time Minister of Labour and Immigration and then as successor by Balthazar Johannes Vorster addition from 1961 to 1969 Minister of Education and Minister of Arts and Science.

Since leaving the government in 1969, he held as a successor Jozua François Naudé to 1976 the office of President of the Senate. As such, he was on 9 April 1975 to the inauguration of Nicolaas Diederichs on 19 April 1975, acting President of the end of the term of office of Jacob Johannes Fouché. In January 1976 Marais Viljoen became his successor as Senate President.

Jan de Klerk's son Frederik Willem de Klerk was president from 1989 to 1994 and received in 1993 along with Nelson Mandela Nobel Peace Prize.