Thomas François Burgers
Thomas François Burgers (born April 15, 1834 in Graaff-Reinet , Cape Colony , † December 9, 1881 in Richmond ) was pastor and from 1871 to 1877 the fourth President of the South African Republic .
Life
Thomas was the youngest child of Barend and Elizabeth Burger. He was born on the Langefontein farm in the Camdeboo area of Graaff-Reinet , Cape Colony . He studied at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands theology and in 1859 pastor of the city Hanover in South Africa. During his student days he met Professor Cornelis Willem Opzoomer and became a supporter of his ideas, which had rational and liberal traits.
In South Africa, Burgers got into a stormy dispute with the Dutch Reformed Church Synod over his alleged liberalism and his doubts about the literal truth of the Bible. Namely, he was critical of traditional culture and placed great emphasis on pure knowledge. In 1862 he was accused of heresy . In 1864 the synod found him guilty and was about to be hanged. However, the Supreme Court overturned the decision, allowing Burgers to resume office in 1865.
Burgers stood up for the presidency in 1871 and won it with a majority of 2,964 to 388. In 1874 the first coins of the South African Republic - the Burgerspond - were introduced. Burgers had these minted at Heaton's Mint in Birmingham , England , when he was on a visit. Burgers planned to build a railway line from the Transvaal to the Indian Ocean . In 1875 he traveled to Europe to raise capital. However, this plan was thwarted by the leader of the Pedi , Sekhukhune , as his land was on the way of the proposed railway route. The forces of the South African Republic were defeated by Sekhukhune. As a result, Burgers became very unpopular and his government went bankrupt. The British annexed the South African Republic in 1877 and forced Burgers to resign. He died in Richmond, Cape Colony in 1881. His family had his notes on village life in Hanover published under the name Toneelen uit ons dorp (German for example: “stages from our place”).
Works
- 1882: Toneelen uit ons dorp. Henri J. Stemberg, The Hague.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Burgers, Thomas François |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | South African politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 15, 1834 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Graaff-Reinet , Cape Colony |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 9, 1881 |
| Place of death | Richmond |