Jacobus Johannes "Jim" Fouché, (6 June 1898 – 23 September 1980
Jacobus Johannes Fouché
archontology.org), also known as J. J. Fouché, was a South African politician who served as the second state president of South Africa
The State President of the Republic of South Africa () was the head of state of South Africa from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country 1960 South African republic referendum, became a republic on 31 May 1961, outside the ...
from 1968 to 1975.
Early life
He was born in the Boer
Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...
republic of 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 ...
in 1898 (which became a British colony in 1902 and a province of the Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...
in 1910) and matriculated at Paarl Boys' High School.
Education
His higher education was at Victoria College, Stellenbosch and would obtain his Honours degree and a D.Phil at Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University (SU) (, ) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Sahara ...
in 1966.[
]
Career
Fouché was a successful farmer. A staunch republican, he was a member of the National Party for many years, first being elected to the House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...
as MP for Smithfield from 1941 to 1950, and as MP for Bloemfontein West between 1960 and 1968.[
Fouché served as Administrator of the Orange Free State from 1950 to 1959, and was then promoted to the Cabinet, where he served as ]Minister of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
from 14 December 1959 to 1 April 1966[ He was elected State President in place of Ebenhaezer Dönges (who had been elected, but died before he could take office), and served as ceremonial head of state from 1968 to 1975.][ He was the only State President to complete a full term in office.
]
Family
Fouché married Letta Rhoda ('Lettie') McDonald,[ a fellow ]white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
woman of Anglo-African
The British diaspora in Africa is a population group broadly defined as English-speaking people of mainly (but not only) British people, British descent who live in or were born in Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority live in South Africa and other ...
descent and Scots extraction.
Depiction on coins
He is depicted on the following coins of the South African rand;
1976 1/2 Cent to 50 Cents.
Honours
He was awarded the South African Decoration for Meritorious Services
The Decoration for Meritorious Services was an honour conferred until 1987 by the Government of the Republic of South Africa, usually for political services to the country. The appointments were made by the State President of South Africa.
Pos ...
and the Paraguayan National Order of Merit.[ Fouché was also a honorary colonel of Regiment President Steyn.][
]
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fouche, Jacobus Johannes
1898 births
1980 deaths
People from Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality
Orange Free State people
Afrikaner Broederbond members
Herenigde Nasionale Party politicians
National Party (South Africa) politicians
State Presidents of South Africa
Defence ministers of South Africa
Members of the House of Assembly (South Africa)
Alumni of Paarl Boys' High School