Thomas Francois Burgers
Encyclopedia
Thomas François Burgers (15 April 1834 – 9 December 1881) was the 4th president of the South African Republic
from 1871
to 1877
. He was the youngest child of Barend and Elizabeth Burger of the farm Langefontein in the Camdeboo district of Graaff Reinet
, Cape Colony
.
at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands
, Burgers became the parson
of Hanover, South Africa in 1859. A charmingly eloquent, but fiercely individualistic man, he had been influenced by Professor C. W. Opzoomer in the Netherlands and embraced his rationalist
, liberal
ideas.
Burgers quickly became involved in a stormy controversy with the Dutch Reformed
Synod over his alleged liberalism and disbelief in the literal truth of the Bible
. He was critical of traditional culture and strongly emphasised knowledge and rationalism. In 1862, his unorthodox doctrine brought on him an accusation of heresy
, and in 1864
he was found guilty by the Synod and suspended. The Supreme Court overturned the decision, and in 1865
, he was readmitted to the ministry. Some of his liberal theological ideas and his diverting viewpoints can be found in the sketches he wrote about daily life in Hanover.
The burghers
of the South African Republic urged Burgers to stand for the presidency, and he was elected by the considerable majority of 2,964 to 388 in 1871.
The South African Republic's first coins—the famous Burgerspond—was introduced in 1874
. These were struck at Heaton's Mint in Birmingham
, England
when he was there on a visit. Some people in the South African Republic objected to the issue of the Burgerspond, because the portrayal of the President on coins likened him to a dictator.
The 1905 New International Encyclopædia
describes Burgers' policies as president as “characterized by brilliant but impracticable schemes, aiming chiefly at territorial expansion.” One of his plans was to build a railway linking the Transvaal to the sea and in 1875
he traveled to Europe
to raise funds. His plans were thwarted by the Pedi chief Sekhukhune
, however, whose lands lay in the path of the proposed railway.
By 1877
Burgers was very unpopular and his government was insolvent. Britain, keen on expanding their empire, stepped in and annexed the Transvaal. Burgers retired from political life, settled in the Cape Colony again, and died in 1881, only forty-seven years old, and leaving his family destitute. Coming to the family's aid, Burgers' former private secretary, Th.M. Tromp, published the sketches Burgers had written about his experiences as minister in Hanover. The proceeds of the book, in Dutch and published in the Netherlands, were used to alleviate his family's financial problems.
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...
from 1871
1871 in South Africa
-Events:* Gold is discovered in Pilgrim's Rest area* A mail route is established from Cape Town to the diamond fields* An diamond is discovered and leads to a diamond rush...
to 1877
1877 in South Africa
-Events:* Xhosas clash with the white settlers starting the 9th Cape Frontier War which ends the following year* Native Locations or reservations for Tswana people are established in Griqualand West...
. He was the youngest child of Barend and Elizabeth Burger of the farm Langefontein in the Camdeboo district of Graaff Reinet
Graaff Reinet
Graaff-Reinet is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the fourth oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Swellendam.-History:...
, 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...
.
Biography
After studying theologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Burgers became the parson
Parson
In the pre-Reformation church, a parson was the priest of an independent parish church, that is, a parish church not under the control of a larger ecclesiastical or monastic organization...
of Hanover, South Africa in 1859. A charmingly eloquent, but fiercely individualistic man, he had been influenced by Professor C. W. Opzoomer in the Netherlands and embraced his rationalist
Rationalism
In epistemology and in its modern sense, rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification" . In more technical terms, it is a method or a theory "in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive"...
, liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
ideas.
Burgers quickly became involved in a stormy controversy with the Dutch Reformed
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
Synod over his alleged liberalism and disbelief in the literal truth of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. He was critical of traditional culture and strongly emphasised knowledge and rationalism. In 1862, his unorthodox doctrine brought on him an accusation of heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
, and in 1864
1864 in South Africa
-Events:* The Republic of New Scotland is set up in what is now the Amsterdam region in Mpumalanga* Bloemhof is founded on the banks of the Vaal River when diamonds are discovered in the area...
he was found guilty by the Synod and suspended. The Supreme Court overturned the decision, and in 1865
1865 in South Africa
-Events:* Ostriches are domesticated* Economic depression hits South Africa* War breaks out for the second time between Orange Free State and Basothos-Births:* 12 January Johannes Francois Elias Cilliers, poet, writer and dramatist, is born-Deaths:...
, he was readmitted to the ministry. Some of his liberal theological ideas and his diverting viewpoints can be found in the sketches he wrote about daily life in Hanover.
The burghers
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...
of the South African Republic urged Burgers to stand for the presidency, and he was elected by the considerable majority of 2,964 to 388 in 1871.
The South African Republic's first coins—the famous Burgerspond—was introduced in 1874
1874 in South Africa
-Events:* A college founded at Stellenbosch which later becomes the University of Stellenbosch* The railway line from Port Elizabeth to Uitenhage is opened* The Burgerspond, the South African Republic's first coin, is introduced-Births:...
. These were struck at Heaton's Mint in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
when he was there on a visit. Some people in the South African Republic objected to the issue of the Burgerspond, because the portrayal of the President on coins likened him to a dictator.
New International Encyclopedia
The New International Encyclopedia was an American encyclopedia first published in 1902 by Dodd, Mead and Company. It descended from the International Cyclopaedia and was updated in 1906, 1914 and 1926.-History:...
describes Burgers' policies as president as “characterized by brilliant but impracticable schemes, aiming chiefly at territorial expansion.” One of his plans was to build a railway linking the Transvaal to the sea and in 1875
1875 in South Africa
-Events:* The Black Flag Rebellion is staged by white diamond diggers at Kimberley* 14 August - The Genootskap vir Regte Afrikaners is formed at the home of Gideon Malherbe in Paarl...
he traveled to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to raise funds. His plans were thwarted by the Pedi chief Sekhukhune
Sekhukhune
Sekhukhune , was king of the Marota , in the current Mpumalanga province, Limpopo province, Gauteng province of South Africa. He became king upon his father's death in September 1861, and lived at a mountain, now known as Thaba Ya Sekhukhune, which he fortified.The Marota lived in the land between...
, however, whose lands lay in the path of the proposed railway.
By 1877
1877 in South Africa
-Events:* Xhosas clash with the white settlers starting the 9th Cape Frontier War which ends the following year* Native Locations or reservations for Tswana people are established in Griqualand West...
Burgers was very unpopular and his government was insolvent. Britain, keen on expanding their empire, stepped in and annexed the Transvaal. Burgers retired from political life, settled in the Cape Colony again, and died in 1881, only forty-seven years old, and leaving his family destitute. Coming to the family's aid, Burgers' former private secretary, Th.M. Tromp, published the sketches Burgers had written about his experiences as minister in Hanover. The proceeds of the book, in Dutch and published in the Netherlands, were used to alleviate his family's financial problems.