Hendrik Schalk Theron
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Hendrik Schalk Theron | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Lands and Irrigation | |
| In office 1913–1915 | |
| Prime Minister | Louis Botha |
| Preceded by | Abraham Fischer |
| Succeeded by | Hendrik Mentz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 February 1869 |
| Died | 28 June 1922 (aged 53) |
| Party | South African Party |
| Occupation | mining engineer, farmer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Orange Free State |
| Years of service | 1899–1902 |
| Rank | Commandant |
| Battles/wars | Second Boer War |
Hendrik Schalk Theron (12 February 1869 – 28 June 1922) was a South African mining engineer, farmer, politician and Member of Parliament.[1]
Theron was the son of Pieter Jacobus Georg Theron and his wife, Anna Christina du Plessis. He was educated at Grey College in Bloemfontein, and the Victoria College in Stellenbosch, where he obtained a B.A. degree. He then went on to study at the Royal School of Mines in London, where he qualified as a mining engineer and became an associate. In 1896 he began working in the Orange Free State civil service as a mining engineer at Koffiefontein and in 1898 he was appointed a justice of the peace and inspector of mines at Kaalvallei and the Lace Diamond Mine.[2]
Second Boer war
Theron fought in the Second Anglo-Boer war, with the rank of commandant, and during the siege of Ladysmith, he was placed in charge of the searchlights around Ladysmith. In May 1900, like a number of fellow Free Staters, he laid down his arms and in November 1901 the British military authorities deported him to a POW camp in India, where he remained until January 1903.[3]