Harry Schwarz
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His Excellency Harry Schwarz |
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|---|---|
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| 13th South Africa Ambassador to United States | |
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In office 6 March 1991 – 12 January 1995 |
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| President |
Frederik Willem de Klerk Nelson Mandela |
| Preceded by | Piet Koornhof |
| Succeeded by | Franklin Sonn |
| 1st South Africa Ambassador to Barbados | |
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In office 1993–1995 |
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| Shadow Minister of Finance | |
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In office 30 November 1977 – 5 May 1987 |
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| Preceded by | John Jaminan |
| Succeeded by | Jan van Zyl |
| Shadow Minister of Defence | |
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In office 1977–1984 |
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| Preceded by | Vause Raw |
| Succeeded by | Roger Hulley |
| Leader of the Opposition in the Transvaal | |
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In office 1963–1974 |
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| Preceded by | Marais Steyn |
| Succeeded by | Alf Widman |
| Member of the House of Assembly for Yeoville | |
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In office 24 April 1974 – 6 February 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Marais Steyn |
| Succeeded by | Douglas Gibson |
| Member of the Transvaal Provincial Council for Hillbrow | |
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In office 1958–1974 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Harry Heinz Schwarz 13 May 1924 Cologne, Weimar Republic |
| Died | 5 February 2010 (aged 85) Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Political party |
United Party Reform Party Progressive Reform Party Progressive Federal Party Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Annette Louise Schwarz |
| Children | Jonathan Allan Michael |
| Alma mater | University of the Witwatersrand |
| Profession | Solicitor, Banker |
| Religion | Judaism |
Harry Heinz Schwarz (13 May 1924 – 5 February 2010) was a South African lawyer, statesman and long-time political opposition leader against apartheid in South Africa, who eventually served as the South African ambassador to the United States during the country’s transition to majority rule.
Schwarz rose from the childhood poverty he experienced as a German-Jewish refugee to become a lawyer and a member of the Transvaal Provincial Council, where from 1963 to 1974, he was Leader of the Opposition. In the 1964 Rivonia Trial he was a defence lawyer. Advocating a more aggressive political opposition to the National Party's racial policies in the 1960s and 1970s, as Leader of the United Party in Transvaal and leader of the liberal "Young Turks", he clashed with the United Party establishment. He pioneered the call in white politics for a negotiated end to apartheid and in 1974 signed the Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith with Mangosuthu Buthelezi for a non-racial democratic society in South Africa. He was in the opposition for over 40 years and was a founding member of the Democratic Party. In light of his record, his appointment as South African Ambassador to the United States in 1990 was widely heralded as symbolic of the government's commitment to ending apartheid, and played a significant role in renewing the nation's image as the new democratic South Africa.
As a South African Air Force World War II veteran during the 1950s, Schwarz co-founded the Torch Commando, an ex-soldiers' movement to protest against the disenfranchisement of coloured people in South Africa. Described as South Africa's "most feisty politician" and a political "maverick", he was known for his parliamentary clashes with the apartheid government over its racial and economic policies. In his political career spanning 43 years, in which he gained respect from across the political spectrum, he never lost an election. In 1988 he received the Order for Meritorious Service and received several Honorary Doctorates. He was also one of the South African Jewish community's foremost leaders and spoke out strongly against anti-semitism.
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