C. R. Swart facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Charles Robberts Swart DMS
1st State President of South Africa
In office 31 May 1961 – 1 June 1967
Prime Minister	Hendrik Verwoerd John Vorster
Preceded by	Elizabeth II as Queen of South Africa
Succeeded by	Tom Naudé (acting)
9th Governor-General of South Africa
In office 11 December 1959 – 30 April 1961
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Hendrik Verwoerd
Preceded by	Lucas Cornelius Steyn as Officer Administering the Government
Succeeded by	Lucas Cornelius Steyn as Officer Administering the Government
Minister of Justice
In office 4 June 1948 – 11 December 1959
Prime Minister	Daniel François Malan Hans Strijdom Hendrik Verwoerd
Preceded by	Harry Lawrence
Succeeded by	Frans Erasmus
Minister of Education, Arts and Science
In office 1949–1950
Prime Minister	Daniel François Malan
Preceded by	Albert Jacobus Stals
Succeeded by	Johannes Hendrikus Viljoen
Personal details
Born	Charles Robberts Swart (1894-12-05)5 December 1894 Winburg, Orange Free State
Died	16 July 1982(1982-07-16) (aged 87) Bloemfontein, Orange Free State Province, South Africa
Political party	National Party
Spouse	Cornelia de Klerk ​ (m. 1924)​
Children	3
Alma mater	University of the Free State Columbia University
Occupation	Politician, lawyer, journalist, actor
Nickname	Blackie

Charles Robberts Swart (born 5 December 1894 – died 16 July 1982) was a South African politician. People often called him Blackie. He was the last Governor-General of the Union of South Africa from 1959 to 1961. After South Africa became a republic, he became its first State President from 1961 to 1967.

Early Life and Education

Charles Robberts Swart was born on 5 December 1894. His family lived on a farm called Morgenzon in the Winburg area. This was in the Orange Free State, which was a Boer republic at the time.

He was the third of six children. When he was five, the Second Boer War started. His mother and siblings were sent to a concentration camp in Winburg. Sadly, one of his brothers died there. His father was captured during the war and became a prisoner.

When he was seven, Charles went to school in Winburg. Later, he attended a special school set up by Afrikaners. These schools aimed to teach children in their own language and culture.

Becoming a Lawyer and Journalist

Charles Swart became a barrister in 1914. For a short time, he even acted in silent films in Hollywood!

He practiced law in Bloemfontein from 1919 to 1948. During this time, he also studied journalism at Columbia University in New York. He worked briefly as a reporter for the Die Burger newspaper in Washington.

He married Cornelia Wilhelmina (Nellie) de Klerk and they had three children. Charles Swart was a very tall man, standing at 6 feet 7 inches.

Public Life and Political Roles

In 1923, Charles Swart was elected to the House of Assembly. This meant he became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Ladybrand. He held this position until 1938.

He then became the leader of the National Party in the Orange Free State. In 1941, he was elected as an MP for Winburg.

Minister of Justice

After the Second World War, the National Party came to power in 1948. Charles Swart was made the Minister of Justice. In this role, he helped create laws that gave the South African Police more power. These laws were used to control protests against the government's policies.

Between 1949 and 1950, he was also the Minister of Education, Arts and Science. From 1954 to 1959, he served as the Deputy Prime Minister.

From Governor-General to State President

In 1959, Charles Swart became the Governor-General. This role represented the British monarch in South Africa. However, Swart strongly believed South Africa should be a republic, meaning it would have its own head of state.

In 1960, white voters in South Africa voted in a referendum. They decided that South Africa should become a republic. So, in 1961, Charles Swart signed the new republican constitution into law. He then asked Queen Elizabeth II to release him from his role.

After this, Parliament elected him as the first State President of South Africa. This new position replaced the Queen and the Governor-General as the country's ceremonial head of state. Some Black resistance leaders, like Nelson Mandela, tried to protest this change with a general strike. However, the government used police force to prevent many of these protests.

Charles Swart was elected for a seven-year term, but he served as State President for six years. He retired in 1967. After retiring, he received the Decoration for Meritorious Services. He passed away on 16 July 1982, at the age of 87.

Legacy and Remembrance

Many things were named after Charles Swart. The tallest building in Bloemfontein was called the President CR Swart Building. It housed government offices and the Law Faculty of the University of the Orange Free State. In 2015, this building was renamed the Fidel Castro Building.

A statue of CR Swart at the University of the Free State was removed by protesting students in 2016.

The highest peak in the remote Prince Edward Islands was once called State President Swart Peak. It was renamed Mascarin Peak in 2003.

Charles Swart's picture was also on the front of some coins of the South African rand in 1968. These coins were made to remember him as the first State President of South Africa.

Literature

See also

In Spanish: Charles Robberts Swart para niños