Jacobus Johannes Venter (1814 - 1889) was a South African (Boer

Boer

Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...

) politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 and statesman. He was 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...

 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...

, chairman of the Joint Commission for Administering the Government in 1855 and served as Acting State President

Presidents of the Orange Free State

List of State Presidents of the Orange Free State-References:* -External links:...

 in 1859 – 1860 and again in 1863 – 1864.

Four towns in South Africa were named after the Venter clan: Ventersdorp, Venterstad, Venterspos and Ventershoop.

One of his descendants is psychologist Dr Elma Ross.