James Barry Munnik Hertzog (1866 - 1942) was a general Boer, Minister for justice of the South African Union of 1910 with 1912, founder of the national Parti in 1914 and Prime Minister South Africa between 1924 and 1939.

Family and studies

Born the April 6th 1866 with Soetendal close to Wellington, Colony of the Cape, Hertzog were the 8th child of Johannes Albertus Munnik Hertzog, descendant of German immigrants and Susanna Maria Jacoba Hamman. It is with Kimberley, where it passed its childhood, that it developed a certain aversion for the foreign minors as private individuals the British. It finished its studies with Stellenbosch where it was interested in the policy and the claims of the Transvaal. In 1889, it leaves to study the right to the university of Amsterdam of which it will return in 1893, with its doctorate out of pocket, to establish its law firm to Pretoria. In 1894, it marries Wilhelmina Jacoba (Mynie) Neethling, met in Stellenbosch, and will have 3 wire.

The general boer

In 1895, it is named judge in the free State of Orange. With the release of the War of Boers, it is named to advise forces of the free State with Kimberley. Named general the June 17th 1900 where, on the Southern face of the free Orange State, of the thousands of Boers the weapons deposited, it succeeds in restoring the situation there.

In October 1900, it is with the head of a force of 12000 combatants with whom it attacks the British garrisons. Then it crosses the river Orange on December 16th, 1900 and advances until the railway in the north of Da Aar. It launches then a raid towards Calvinia. January 19th, 1901, it reaches the coast of the Atlantic Ocean with Lamberts Bay. At that time, De Wet also operates in the Colonie of the Cape and Hertzog decides to join it, but it is constrained to pass by again the Orange river and to give up its project.

It will be one of the signatories of the Traité of fine Vereeniging putting at the war.

The politician

Political ascendance (1907-1914)

In 1907, it is elected at the Parliament for the district of Smithfield, free State of Orange, which it will represent during 33 years. Minister for the education of the free State, it imposes bilingualism English/Afrikaans in provincial teaching. Delegated to the national convention of 1908 - 1909 developing the constitution Union of South Africa, it becomes in 1910 the Minister for justice and the indigenous businesses in the government of Louis Botha. In November 1911, the coalition of the parties afrikaners which had carried Louis Botha to the victory amalgamates in only one movement, the South-African Parti. Under the direction of Botha and Smuts, the party militates for the reconciliation and the union of the white communities.

The October 14th 1912, Hertzog calls some in a speech with African southern nationalism and the domination afrikaner apart from the borders of the empire Britannique. With the end of the year, it is excluded from the government. Historical figures of resistance boer brought their support, commes to him the generals De Wet, Of Rey or former president Steyn.

The founder of the National Party (1914)

In January 1914, it breaks definitively with Louis Botha whom it reproaches his moderation, his refusal of bilingualism in the white schools and its anglophilia. It founds with several Boers former generals the national Parti (NP) of which it takes the direction. With the general elections of 1915, NP carries 27 seats then in 1920 becomes the first political clout of the Parliament with 44 seats against 41 with the South-African Parti Jan Smuts which benefits from the supplement of minority parties to be maintained with the government.

The representative of the aspirations afrikaners (1914-1924)

During the First World War, it is opposed to the South-African participation and sympathizes with the German cause and the German S of the South-western African (future Namibia). The rebellion of the minors of the Rand in 1922 in the Witwatersrand allows an alliance against nature between Hertzog and Frederic Creswell, the chief of the South-African Workers party. This alliance will lead to a pact of single-candidate election at the time of the general elections of 1924 which lead to the victory of Hertzog against the South-African party of the first outgoing minister Jan Smuts and the inclusion of 2 Labor ministers in the new cabinet.

The nationalist head of government (1924-1933)

Become chief of the government, Hertzog made of the Afrikaans the official language of South Africa at the side of the English, the place of the Dutch. It gives to the country a national anthem “Die Stem van Suid Afrika” and a national flag in 1927. It accentuates the laws organizing the racial segregation by a policy supporting the Afrikaner S.

In 1927, it gives up asking a republican mode for South Africa estimating that the country reached a sufficient degree of independence. With the elections of 1929, after the absolute victory of NP, it maintains the ministers Labor with the government in spite of the hostility of the nationalist section of the Cape Province. In 1931, Hertzog obtains that South Africa profits from the Statut of Westminster. It is this same year as it makes grant by the Parliament the right to vote with the white women.

National union behind Hertzog (1933-1939)

In 1933, following the world financial crisis, it approaches to Smuts and the African southern party with which it forms a government of national union which led in 1934 to fusion to form the Plain Parti. Dissidents of NP however taken along by the section head of the the Cape Province, Daniel Malan, do not join the new formation and form a “purified national party”, which takes the succession of NP quickly.

In 1939, Hertzog is in favor of neutrality during release of the Second world war. He does not manage to convince the majority of the members of his party nor the Parliament who, taken along by Smuts, vote mainly for the entry in war. Hertzog is then obliged to resign of its post of Prime Minister.

The failure of the new nationalist union (1939-1943)

It leaves the Party linked with 37 other members of Parliament to form with D.F. Malan the “national left reunified ” before breaking again in 1940. Twenty five of its former partisans who had followed it into 1939 remained with the National Party whereas 10 others followed his/her faithful friend Nicolaas Havenga to form the Parti Afrikaner in 1941.

James Hertzog dies the November 22nd, 1942.

Contemporary heritage of James Barry Hertzog

• In 1969, his/her son Albert Hertzog , Minister for the stations, will leave the national party to protest against the reformism of John Vorster. It will then found the “national party reconstituted” (HNP)
• a statue of JBM Hertzog throne today still in the gardens of the Unions Buildings of Pretoria like to Bloemfontein (Hertzog Square), not very far from the Hertzog museum.
• Until 1995, the airport of Bloemfontein was called “JBM HERTZOG airport”.