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
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