Louis Botha
|
The Right Honourable Louis Botha |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Prime Minister of South Africa | |
|
In office 31 May 1910 – 27 August 1919 |
|
| Monarch | George V |
| Governor-General |
The Viscount Gladstone The Earl Buxton |
| Preceded by | Office Established |
| Succeeded by | Jan Christiaan Smuts |
| Prime Minister of the Transvaal | |
|
In office 4 February 1907 – 31 May 1910 |
|
| Monarch |
Edward VII George V |
| Governor | The Earl of Selborne |
| Preceded by | Office Established |
| Succeeded by | Himself As Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 September 1862 Greytown, Colony of Natal |
| Died | 27 August 1919 (aged 56) Pretoria, Transvaal Province, Union of South Africa |
| Resting place | Heroes' Acre, Pretoria, South Africa |
| Nationality | Boer, Afrikaner |
| Political party | South African Party |
| Other political affiliations |
Het Volk Party |
| Spouse(s) | Annie Emmett |
| Profession | Career military officer, politician |
| Religion | Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 South African Republic Union of South Africa British Commonwealth
|
| Years of service | 1899–1902 (Transvaal commandos) |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Boer, South African Republic |
| Battles/wars |
Second Boer War: -- Colenso -- Spioen kop -- Retreat from Pretoria First World War: -- South-West Africa Campaign |
Louis Botha (27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa—the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer War, he would eventually fight to have South Africa become a British Dominion.
He was born in Greytown, Natal as one of 13 children born to Louis Botha Senior (26 March 1827 – 5 July 1883) and Salomina Adriana van Rooyen (31 March 1829 – 9 January 1886). He briefly attended the school at Hermannsburg before his family relocated to the Orange Free State. The name Louis runs throughout the family, with every generation since General Louis Botha having the eldest son named Louis.
Botha led "Dinuzulu's Volunteers", a group of Boers that had supported Dinuzulu against Zibhebhu in 1884. He later became a member of the parliament of Transvaal in 1897, representing the district of Vryheid.
In 1899, Botha fought in the Second Boer War, initially under Lucas Meyer in Northern Natal, and later as a general commanding and fighting impressively at Colenso and Spion Kop. On the death of P. J. Joubert, he was made commander-in-chief of the Transvaal Boers, where he demonstrated his abilities again at Belfast-Dalmanutha.
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