Ewald Auguste Esselen (27 September 1858 – 1 November 1918) was a South African barrister who served as State Attorney of the South African Republic from 1894 to 1895.

Biography

Ewald Auguste Esselen was born in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

in the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

in 1858. His father was L.F. Esselen and his family was descended from Rhenish missionaries. After finishing school, Esselen studied medicine at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

in Scotland. He returned to South Africa in 1881 during the

First Boer War The First Boer War (, ), was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and Boers of the Transvaal (as the South African Republic was known while under British ad ...

(1880–1881) where he served as private secretary for the then vice-president

Paul Kruger Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger (; 10 October 1825 – 14 July 1904), better known as Paul Kruger, was a South African politician. He was one of the dominant political and military figures in 19th-century South Africa, and State Preside ...

. In this capacity he assisted Kruger during the

Pretoria Convention The Pretoria Convention was the peace treaty that ended the First Boer War (16 December 1880 to 23 March 1881) between the Transvaal Boers and Great Britain. The treaty was signed in Pretoria on 3 August 1881, but was subject to ratification b ...

which was negotiated in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

in the

Colony of Natal The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies t ...

. Following the peace he returned, on Kruger's advice, to Europe to continue his studies, this time studying law at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in London where he qualified as

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

. Between 1883 and 1884, he served as secretary of the Boer delegation to the London Convention which superseded the earlier Pretoria Convention. After his return to South Africa he was admitted to the bar in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

in 1885. In 1886, he was elected a member of the legislative assembly for

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

in the Cape Colony. In 1887, he accepted the position of judge to the criminal court of the South African Republic which had been offered to him by Kruger the previous year. He held this position until 1890, when he resigned for personal reasons and became a barrister in

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

. He would later become a member of the Volksraad of the South African Republic, serving first in the lower chamber, and in 1893 in the upper chamber. In 1894, he was appointed to the position of State Attorney of the South African Republic but resigned after one year and returned to private practice. In 1900, he was made

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

during the

South African 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 ...

(1899–1902), but was released on parole to go to Europe. He returned to the now

Transvaal Colony The Transvaal Colony () was the name used to refer to the Transvaal region during the period of direct British rule and military occupation between the end of the Second Boer War in 1902 when the South African Republic was dissolved, and the ...

in 1902 and resumed his practice. After the war he maintained an active interest in politics, becoming one of the founders the Het Volk party which advocated for self-government. Ewald Esselen died in 1918 at

Sea Point Sea Point (Afrikaans: ''Seepunt'') is an affluent and densely populated suburb of Cape Town, situated in the Western Cape, between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, a few kilometres to the west of Cape Town's Central Business District (CBD). M ...

and is buried in the Ou Begrafplaas in Pretoria.

Legacy

Esselen Street in

Sunnyside, Pretoria Sunnyside is one of the oldest suburbs of the city of Pretoria, South Africa. The well-established area is situated east of Nelson Mandela drive (and the Apies River), adjacent to Pretoria Central. Development Sunnyside of the late 19th and ea ...

, was named after him until it was renamed

Robert Sobukwe Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Order for Meritorious Service, OMSG (5 December 1924 – 27 February 1978) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid revolutionary and founding member of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, ...

Street in 2012.

Gallery

File:The Boer Delegates, 1883-1884.png, Delegates from the South African Republic to the London Convention (1884).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esselen, Ewald Auguste 1858 births 1918 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Members of the Inner Temple South African barristers Cape Colony lawyers South African Republic people