Sir William Bisset Berry (26 July 1839 – 8 June 1922) was a Scots-born South African politician and the fourth Speaker of the
Legislative Assembly of the
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...
.
Early life
Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and educated at that University,
[Illustrated London News, 27 April 1901] Bisset Berry came to the
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...
in 1864 as a ship's surgeon and settled in
Queenstown, Eastern Cape. His engagement to
Agnes Baden-Powell
Agnes Smyth Baden-Powell (16 December 1858 – 2 June 1945) was the younger sister of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, and was most noted for her work in establishing the Girl Guide movement as a female counterpart to her older bro ...
was announced in The Illustrated London News of 27 April 1901, but they never married.
Politics
He later became Queenstown's mayor and was elected as its representative in the
Cape Parliament
The Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope functioned as the legislature of the Cape Colony, from its founding in 1853, until the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, when it was dissolved and the Parliament of South Africa was establis ...
in 1894.
Speaker of the Cape Parliament
Although he hated publicity, he was an engaging public speaker and a skilled debater so when there was a vacancy for the position of Speaker of Parliament, he was elected unopposed in 1898,
even though he had only 4 years of parliamentary experience and his command of the
Afrikaans language
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch dialects, Dutch vernacular of Holland, Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German set ...
was not great. Reclusive and humble to a fault, he lamented his inexperience and lack of qualifications, but actually fared well and showed himself to be decisive and firm when necessary.
His term in office came at a time of great instability and he presided over the votes of no confidence in
Sprigg's government and the application of martial law in the Cape Colony. In 1902, he distinguished himself with his strong opposition to the attempt by the British Colonial Office to suspend the Cape constitution.
He sought re-election in 1908, but was not returned to office (only being re-elected as an ordinary member in the 1910 election). The young
James Molteno was elected to replace him as Speaker.
See also
*
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 ...
References
Further reading
* Royal Commonwealth Society: ''Proceedings Vol.29''. London: Royal Colonial Institute, 1898.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Bisset
Scottish emigrants to South Africa
South African Knights Bachelor
Politicians awarded knighthoods
South African Queen's Counsel
Members of the House of Assembly of the Cape Colony
Speakers of the House of Assembly of the Cape Colony
1839 births
1922 deaths
19th-century South African people