Jacobus Groenendaal
Encyclopedia
Jacobus Groenendaal was a South African politician
and statesman of Dutch origin, member of the Volksraad
of the Orange Free State
and the republic's first Treasurer General and Government Secretary in office from 1854 to 1855 and 1856 respectively.
Groenendaal was born in Heerewaarden
, Netherlands, and was one of the many Dutch immigrants who settled in South Africa around the middle of the nineteenth century. He was a schoolteacher by training, but quickly became an influential politician, first in the negotiations about the formation of the Orange Free State, and afterwards as a parliamentarian and office holder. His political career was hampered by bad health and differences of opinion with State President Boshoff, and eventually cut short by his early death.
Groenendaal left an important political legacy in the form of the Orange free State constitution, in the draft of which he played an important role.
, the Netherlands, son of a farmer in that village. He was trained as a schoolteacher, and worked in a primary school in the Dutch town of Amersfoort
in the late 1840s. Several articles written in 1848 and 1849 by professor U.G. Lauts about Dutch relations with South Africa, and the need for Dutch assistance in the field of education and public administration, inspired Groenendaal to get in touch with Lauts. On his recommendation Groenendaal emigrated to South Africa in 1849, already forty-four years old, but still single. From Cape Town, where he arrived with several other Dutch migrants, Groenendaal travelled to the Orange River Sovereignty
, where he established himself in February 1850 as government teacher in Rietrivier in Sannah's Poort (now Fauresmith
).
In the years after, Groenendaal strongly propagated Dutch migration to South Africa, bringing migrants to the Orange River Sovereignty privately. In this enterprise he co-operated with Lauts, and they continued their 'business' after the independence of the Orange Free State. When circumstances for migration deteriorated, both Groenendaal and Lauts were criticised for their actions.
.
As a member of the Volksraad
Groenendaal and his fellow member J.M. Orpen, an Irishman, were the dominant forces behind the drafting of a constitution. After the formation of the Orange Free State
Groenendaal was appointed its first State Secretary, a title soon changed to Government Secretary. He was also appointed the state's Treasurer General. In April 1854 he briefly acted as State President
for J.P. Hoffman.
Groenendaal and State President Hoffman did get along well together, and they briefly established a solid political and administrative basis for the new state. Both Groenendaal and Hoffman were cripples, reason for their government to quickly gain the nickname 'the crippled government', but this did not reflect the true affairs of the state.
After State President Hoffman was forced to retire because of the 'gunpowder incident', Groenendaal remained in office. However, his relationship with the new State President, Boshoff, was much less cordial than that with Hoffman. One reason was the chaotic state of affairs at the Treasury, for which Groenendaal was responsible, and which Boshoff quickly criticised.
Plagued by poor health (first fevers, later a serious disease of his leg) forced Groenendaal to go on leave for several months in 1855-1856. State President Boshoff took the opportunity to request the Volksraad to dismiss him as Treasurer General. In January 1856 Groenendaal was forced to resign as Government Secretary. The resignation was followed by a period in which Groenendaal kept away from active politics, although he did get involved in political debate through letters in the local press. In these he strongly criticised Boshoff's policies with regard to land speculation. Groenendaal, though not a very powerful figure, still had allies in the Volksraad, which appointed him member of a commission to oversee the state budget for 1858, much to the dismay of President Boshoff.
In November 1858, Groenendaal was re-elected to the Volksraad for the constituency of Midden-Rietrivier en Grootrivier in Sannah's Poort Fauresmith
. This time, he found himself on the side of Boshoff, and up against a majority of the Volksraad, in the debate about unification of the Orange Free State
with the South African Republic
. Groenendaal, Boshoff, and State Attorney H.A.L. Hamelberg were all for a federation with the Cape Colony
instead.
Groenendaal was much occupied with the foundation of the state, both in its basic structure, its state apparatus, and its paraphernalia, like a coat of arms and a flag. At the same time he strongly pressed for international recognition, especially from the Netherlands. A state press was to curb the influence of the British printing press and newspapers in the Orange Free State. In a sense, Groenendaal was a progenitor of Afrikaner (Free State) nationalism. He remained an active member of the Volksraad until his death.
Groenendaal married late in life, in 1858, with Johanna Antoinet Helderman, widow of P.W. van der Merwe. He died in his house in Fauresmith
, Orange Free State
, on 27 November 1860, only fifty-five years old.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and statesman of Dutch origin, member of the Volksraad
Volksraad
The Volksraad was the parliament of the former South African Republic , which existed from 1857 to 1902 in part of what is now the South Africa. The body ceased to exist after the British victory in the Second Anglo-Boer War. The Volksraad sat in session in Ou Raadsaal in Church Square, Pretoria...
of the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
and the republic's first Treasurer General and Government Secretary in office from 1854 to 1855 and 1856 respectively.
Groenendaal was born in Heerewaarden
Heerewaarden
Heerewaarden is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Maasdriel, and lies about 8 km south of Tiel....
, Netherlands, and was one of the many Dutch immigrants who settled in South Africa around the middle of the nineteenth century. He was a schoolteacher by training, but quickly became an influential politician, first in the negotiations about the formation of the Orange Free State, and afterwards as a parliamentarian and office holder. His political career was hampered by bad health and differences of opinion with State President Boshoff, and eventually cut short by his early death.
Groenendaal left an important political legacy in the form of the Orange free State constitution, in the draft of which he played an important role.
Early life and migration
Groenendaal was born in HeerewaardenHeerewaarden
Heerewaarden is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Maasdriel, and lies about 8 km south of Tiel....
, the Netherlands, son of a farmer in that village. He was trained as a schoolteacher, and worked in a primary school in the Dutch town of Amersfoort
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
in the late 1840s. Several articles written in 1848 and 1849 by professor U.G. Lauts about Dutch relations with South Africa, and the need for Dutch assistance in the field of education and public administration, inspired Groenendaal to get in touch with Lauts. On his recommendation Groenendaal emigrated to South Africa in 1849, already forty-four years old, but still single. From Cape Town, where he arrived with several other Dutch migrants, Groenendaal travelled to the Orange River Sovereignty
Orange River Sovereignty
The Orange River Sovereignty was a short-lived political entity between the Orange and Vaal rivers in southern Africa. In 1854, it became the Orange Free State, and is now the Free State province of South Africa.-History:...
, where he established himself in February 1850 as government teacher in Rietrivier in Sannah's Poort (now Fauresmith
Fauresmith
Fauresmith is located 130 km south west of Bloemfontein. The town, named after Rev Phillip Faure and Sir Harry Smith, is the second oldest town in the Free State....
).
In the years after, Groenendaal strongly propagated Dutch migration to South Africa, bringing migrants to the Orange River Sovereignty privately. In this enterprise he co-operated with Lauts, and they continued their 'business' after the independence of the Orange Free State. When circumstances for migration deteriorated, both Groenendaal and Lauts were criticised for their actions.
Political career
The inhabitants of Sannah's Poort appointed Groenendaal as their representative to the conference in Bloemfontein of 5 September 1853, where a possible political independence of the Orange River Sovereignty was first discussed. During the negotiations, the delegates appointed him a member of the Council of Representatives, charged with the negotiations about the final take-over of sovereignty, which resulted in the Orange River ConventionOrange River Convention
The Orange River Convention was a convention whereby Great Britain formally recognised the independence of the Boers in the area between the Orange and Vaal rivers, which had previously been known as the Orange River Sovereignty...
.
As a member of the Volksraad
Volksraad
The Volksraad was the parliament of the former South African Republic , which existed from 1857 to 1902 in part of what is now the South Africa. The body ceased to exist after the British victory in the Second Anglo-Boer War. The Volksraad sat in session in Ou Raadsaal in Church Square, Pretoria...
Groenendaal and his fellow member J.M. Orpen, an Irishman, were the dominant forces behind the drafting of a constitution. After the formation of the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
Groenendaal was appointed its first State Secretary, a title soon changed to Government Secretary. He was also appointed the state's Treasurer General. In April 1854 he briefly acted as State President
Presidents of the Orange Free State
List of State Presidents of the Orange Free State-References:* -External links:...
for J.P. Hoffman.
Groenendaal and State President Hoffman did get along well together, and they briefly established a solid political and administrative basis for the new state. Both Groenendaal and Hoffman were cripples, reason for their government to quickly gain the nickname 'the crippled government', but this did not reflect the true affairs of the state.
After State President Hoffman was forced to retire because of the 'gunpowder incident', Groenendaal remained in office. However, his relationship with the new State President, Boshoff, was much less cordial than that with Hoffman. One reason was the chaotic state of affairs at the Treasury, for which Groenendaal was responsible, and which Boshoff quickly criticised.
Plagued by poor health (first fevers, later a serious disease of his leg) forced Groenendaal to go on leave for several months in 1855-1856. State President Boshoff took the opportunity to request the Volksraad to dismiss him as Treasurer General. In January 1856 Groenendaal was forced to resign as Government Secretary. The resignation was followed by a period in which Groenendaal kept away from active politics, although he did get involved in political debate through letters in the local press. In these he strongly criticised Boshoff's policies with regard to land speculation. Groenendaal, though not a very powerful figure, still had allies in the Volksraad, which appointed him member of a commission to oversee the state budget for 1858, much to the dismay of President Boshoff.
In November 1858, Groenendaal was re-elected to the Volksraad for the constituency of Midden-Rietrivier en Grootrivier in Sannah's Poort Fauresmith
Fauresmith
Fauresmith is located 130 km south west of Bloemfontein. The town, named after Rev Phillip Faure and Sir Harry Smith, is the second oldest town in the Free State....
. This time, he found himself on the side of Boshoff, and up against a majority of the Volksraad, in the debate about unification of the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
with the South African Republic
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
. Groenendaal, Boshoff, and State Attorney H.A.L. Hamelberg were all for a federation with 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...
instead.
Groenendaal was much occupied with the foundation of the state, both in its basic structure, its state apparatus, and its paraphernalia, like a coat of arms and a flag. At the same time he strongly pressed for international recognition, especially from the Netherlands. A state press was to curb the influence of the British printing press and newspapers in the Orange Free State. In a sense, Groenendaal was a progenitor of Afrikaner (Free State) nationalism. He remained an active member of the Volksraad until his death.
Groenendaal married late in life, in 1858, with Johanna Antoinet Helderman, widow of P.W. van der Merwe. He died in his house in Fauresmith
Fauresmith
Fauresmith is located 130 km south west of Bloemfontein. The town, named after Rev Phillip Faure and Sir Harry Smith, is the second oldest town in the Free State....
, Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
, on 27 November 1860, only fifty-five years old.