De Villiers Graaff
De Villiers Graaff | |
---|---|
Leader of the United Party | |
In office 1956–1977 | |
Preceded by | Jacobus Gideon Nel Strauss |
Succeeded by | Party disbanded |
Personal details | |
Born | Cape Town, Cape Province, Union of South Africa | 8 December 1913
Died | 4 October 1999 Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa | (aged 85)
Political party | United Party (1948-1977) New Republic Party (1977-78) |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Politician, Lawyer, Dairy Farmer |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Union of South Africa United Kingdom |
Branch/service | Union Defence Force |
Rank | Lieutenant[1] |
Battles/wars | |
Sir De Villiers Graaff, 2nd Baronet,[
Early life
Graaff was born on 8 December 1913 in
Graaff succeeded his father as baronet in 1931. This baronetcy is one of twelve conferred on South Africans between 1841 and 1924.
He studied law at the Universities of
At the outbreak of
His youngest brother was Johannes de Villiers Graaff, a noted South African welfare economist.
Political career
Graaff became a member of the
He led the opposition to a republic in the 1960 referendum, and stated that South Africa's membership of the Commonwealth was under threat, and the declaration of a republic would lead to South Africa being isolated internationally.[5]
In 1977, the United Party was dissolved and the New Republic Party was founded, of which Graaff briefly served as interim leader before retiring. During his time as leader of the United Party it had split four times and been defeated in five general elections.[3]
Legacy
The
References
- ^ "No. 37808". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 December 1946. p. 5947.
- ^ Uys, Stanley (11 October 1999). "Sir de Villiers Graaff". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- ^ a b c Pace, Eric (8 October 1999). "Sir de Villiers Graaff, 85, Leader Of South African Centrist Party". New York Times. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ^ a b "de Villiers Graaff - Biography". South Africa History Online. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ Decision to quit was "inevitable", The Sun-Herald, March 19, 1961
- Div Looks Back: The memoirs of Sir De Villiers Graaff. ISBN 0-7981-3176-4.
External links
- Media related to De Villiers Graaff at Wikimedia Commons
- De Villiers Graaff at ESPNcricinfo
- CricketArchive: De Villiers Graaff