Colin Fraser Steyn (27 November 1887 – 23 April 1959) was a lawyer and a politician in South Africa. He served as a member in the House of Assembly, senator, and cabinet minister in the government of

Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (baptismal name Jan Christiaan Smuts, 24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as P ...

Early life

He was born on 27 November 1887 in

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

in the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

, the son of

Marthinus Theunis Steyn Martinus (or Marthinus) Theunis Steyn (; 2 October 185728 November 1916) was a South African lawyer, politician, and statesman. He was the sixth and last president of the independent Orange Free State from 1896 to 1902. Early life The Stey ...

, who was the President of the Orange Free State from 1896 till 1902. He was named for his grandfather on his mother's side, Reverend Colin Fraser. He attended Greys College, but his studies were interrupted by the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

when he accompanied his father to the Natal battle fronts. After the war, he attended school in Switzerland during his parents' tour to Europe. On his return to Bloemfontein, he resumed his schooling and attended Grey University College. He left for Leiden University in 1907 and returned to South Africa in 1912, with a doctorate in law. He practiced as a lawyer in Pretoria and then in Bloemfontein. Steyn went on to marry Rae Eksteen in 1919 and had two sons.

Career and later life

He joined the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

and after the

1915 South African general election General elections were held in South Africa on 20 October 1915 to elect the 130 members of the House of Assembly. This was the second Union Parliament. The governing South African Party (SAP) of General Louis Botha emerged from the elections as ...

, represented the seat of

Vredefort Vredefort (, ) is a small farming town in the Free State province of South Africa with cattle, peanuts, sorghum, sunflowers and maize being farmed. It is home to 3,000 residents. The town was established in 1876 on a farm called Visgat, on th ...

. He was elected as deputy leader of the

. He served in the capacity as Deputy Minister of Justice from 1915 to 1928, under

Tielman Roos Tielman Johannes de Villiers Roos (8 May 1879 – 28 March 1935) was a South African politician and South African Minister for Justice from 1924 to 1929. Labour politics Roos made his name as the leader of a group of young members of the Sou ...

. He resigned from his position as Deputy Minister of Justice in 1928, and left the political life for a short period, before joining United Party in 1936 and was once again re-elected to the

Parliament of South Africa The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa is South Africa's legislature. It is located in Cape Town; the country's legislative capital city, capital. Under the present Constitution of South Africa, the bicameralism, bicameral Parliamen ...

in 1938. He was appointed as the

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

from 1939 till 1945, and then served as Minister of Employment from 1946 till 1948, in the South African Party government of Prime Minister

. In 1953, he left the House of Assembly for the senate, where he was served as senator for the United Party in Natal until 1956. He resigned from parliament in 1955, due to health problems. Steyn died on 23 April 1959.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steyn, Colin Fraser 1887 births 1959 deaths Afrikaner people South African people of Dutch descent 20th-century South African lawyers National Party (South Africa) politicians United Party (South Africa) politicians South African Party (Union of South Africa) politicians Members of the House of Assembly (South Africa) Members of the Senate of South Africa Justice ministers of South Africa