David Tennant (Cape politician)
Encyclopedia
Sir David Tennant was a Cape politician, statesman and the second Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Cape Colony
. He was in fact the longest serving parliamentary Speaker in South African history, holding the position for nearly 22 years.
David Tennant was born in Cape Town on 10 January 1829. Unusually diligent and hard-working, he read law and became an attorney of the Supreme Court at the age of 20. In 1866 he was elected to the Cape Parliament to represent the electoral division of Piketberg
and soon distinguished himself for his efficient and honest management of parliamentary procedure. When the Speaker of Parliament
Christoffel Brand
retired in 1874, Prime Minister John Molteno proposed Tennant as an ideal candidate, and he was then promptly (and unanimously) elected as the new Speaker of the Cape Assembly.
The Cape Colony
had only recently been brought under responsible government
, and parliamentary procedure was seen as being in need of reform and streamlining to accommodate an expanding territory, a rapidly growing economy and increased political independence from Britain. With his characteristic industrious, Tennant worked with the Molteno ministry to re-draw the rules of parliamentary operations to speed up the proceedings and remove potential for inefficiency and abuse. All of this he undertook with great success, and so well-suited was he seen to be for the job of Speaker that he was gratefully re-elected five times – making him the longest serving parliamentary Speaker in South African history.
However, he also presided over parliament during an exceptionally stormy period, from Carnarvon
's failed Confederation scheme and its resultant wars, to the eve of the Second Boer War
. Nonetheless, his characteristically gentle but firm impartiality meant that when he retired in 1901 (after having been Speaker for a total of nearly 22 years), he was greatly and widely praised by all of the various opposing factions in the Assembly.
He died soon after his retirement, in London on 29 March 1905.
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
. He was in fact the longest serving parliamentary Speaker in South African history, holding the position for nearly 22 years.
David Tennant was born in Cape Town on 10 January 1829. Unusually diligent and hard-working, he read law and became an attorney of the Supreme Court at the age of 20. In 1866 he was elected to the Cape Parliament to represent the electoral division of Piketberg
Piketberg
Piketberg is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. The original spelling of the name was "Piquetberg".The town is in the foothills of the Piketberg mountains, a range of low mountains formed from Table Mountain Sandstone....
and soon distinguished himself for his efficient and honest management of parliamentary procedure. When the Speaker of Parliament
Speaker of the South African National Assembly
The Speaker of the National Assembly presides over the National Assembly of South Africa, the lower house of the Parliament of South Africa. The speaker is chosen from among the Members of the Assembly at its first sitting following a general election and whenever the office is vacant...
Christoffel Brand
Christoffel Brand
Sir Christoffel Joseph Brand was a South African jurist, politician, statesman and first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Cape Colony....
retired in 1874, Prime Minister John Molteno proposed Tennant as an ideal candidate, and he was then promptly (and unanimously) elected as the new Speaker of the Cape Assembly.
The Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
had only recently been brought under responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
, and parliamentary procedure was seen as being in need of reform and streamlining to accommodate an expanding territory, a rapidly growing economy and increased political independence from Britain. With his characteristic industrious, Tennant worked with the Molteno ministry to re-draw the rules of parliamentary operations to speed up the proceedings and remove potential for inefficiency and abuse. All of this he undertook with great success, and so well-suited was he seen to be for the job of Speaker that he was gratefully re-elected five times – making him the longest serving parliamentary Speaker in South African history.
However, he also presided over parliament during an exceptionally stormy period, from Carnarvon
Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon
Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon, PC, DL, FSA, FRS , known as Lord Porchester from 1833 to 1849, was a British politician and a leading member of the Conservative Party...
's failed Confederation scheme and its resultant wars, to the eve of the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. Nonetheless, his characteristically gentle but firm impartiality meant that when he retired in 1901 (after having been Speaker for a total of nearly 22 years), he was greatly and widely praised by all of the various opposing factions in the Assembly.
He died soon after his retirement, in London on 29 March 1905.
Further reading
- Kilpin, R.: The Old Cape House, being pages from the history of a legislative assembly. Cape Town: T.M. Miller, 1918.
- Royal Commonwealth Society: Proceedings Vol.29. London: Royal Colonial Institute, 1898.
- Molteno, P.A.: The life and times of Sir John Charles Molteno, K. C. M. G., First Premier of Cape Colony, Comprising a History of Representative Institutions and Responsible Government at the Cape. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1900.