Gideon Brand van Zyl, PC (; 3 June 18731 November 1956) was

Governor-General of the Union of South Africa The governor-general of the Union of South Africa ( af, Goewerneur-generaal van Unie van Suid-Afrika, nl, Goeverneur-generaal van de Unie van Zuid-Afrika) was the highest state official in the Union of South Africa between 31 May 1910 and 31 ...

from 1945 to 1950. Born in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, he was the son of a prominent attorney, and he joined the family firm after qualifying at the University of Cape Town. During the

Anglo-Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

(1899–1902), he was a legal adviser to the British

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

. In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(1914–1918), he was Deputy Director of War Recruiting, and served in the Cape Peninsula Garrison Regiment (a home defence unit). Van Zyl entered politics in 1915, as a member of the Unionist Party. He was a member of the

Cape Provincial Council The Cape Provincial Council was the provincial council of the Cape Province of South Africa. It was created by the South Africa Act 1909, with effect from the formation of the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910. The first election to the provinc ...

(the provincial legislature) until 1918, and then a member of Parliament until 1942. He was Deputy

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

from 1934 to 1942 (the Speaker being Dr

Ernest George Jansen Ernest George Jansen (1881–1959) was the second to last Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, holding office from 1951 until his death in 1959. Born on 7 August 1881, he graduated with a law degree from the University of the Cape of ...

, who was later also governor-general). From 1942 to 1945, Van Zyl was Administrator of the Cape Province. He served as Governor-General from 1945 until 1950. He was appointed to the

Privy Council of the United Kingdom The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of e ...

in 1945. In 1947, he hosted

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

and the British Royal Family when they toured South Africa. Van Zyl married Marie Fraser in 1900. He died in 1956.

References

1873 births 1956 deaths Afrikaner people South African people of Dutch descent Governors-General of South Africa Unionist Party (South Africa) politicians Members of the House of Assembly (South Africa) South African members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Provincial political office-holders in South Africa Politicians from Cape Town Scouting and Guiding in South Africa {{WesternCape-politician-stub