Josias Philip Hoffman (commonly known as Sias Hoffman) (1807 – 1879) was a South African

Boer Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape Colony, Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controll ...

statesman, and was the chairman of the

Provisional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or f ...

and later the first State President of the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

, in office from 1854 to 1855.

Career

Hoffman was one of the representatives of the Smithfield District in the

Orange River Sovereignty The Orange River Sovereignty (1848–1854) was a short-lived political entity between the Orange and Vaal rivers in Southern Africa, a region known informally as Transorangia. In 1854, it became the Orange Free State, and is now the Free State ...

during the negotiations between

s and British about the independence of the territory. He acted as chairman of the

deputation in the negotiations and signed the

Orange River Convention The Orange River Convention (sometimes also called the Bloemfontein Convention) was a convention whereby the British formally recognised the independence of the Boers in the area between the Orange and Vaal rivers, which had previously been know ...

of 23 February 1854 in that capacity. He was first appointed chairman of the

(23 February – 29 March 1854) and after a short intermezzo as chairman of the

Volksraad The Volksraad was a people's assembly or legislature in Dutch or Afrikaans speaking government. Assembly South Africa *Volksraad (South African Republic) (1840–1902) *Volksraad (Natalia Republic), a similar assembly that existed in the Natalia Re ...

he was first elected Acting State President (18 April – 15 June) and eventually the first substantial State President of the

. Both Hoffman and his State Secretary J. Groenendaal were cripples, reason for their government to quickly gain the nickname 'the crippled government'. Hoffman's term in office was short-lived, just under one year, and ended with a political incident. As a gesture of good faith, Hoffman had given a present of a keg of gunpowder to the

Basotho The Sotho () people, also known as the Basuto or Basotho (), are a Bantu nation native to southern Africa. They split into different ethnic groups over time, due to regional conflicts and colonialism, which resulted in the modern Basotho, who ...

king

Moshoeshoe I Moshoeshoe I () ( – 11 March 1870) was the first king of Lesotho. He was the first son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bamokoteli lineage, a branch of the Koena (crocodile) clan. In his youth, he helped his father gain power over som ...

. His fellow burghers found this an unwise move, over-friendly and potentially dangerous for the survival of the new state. Relations between the

Boers Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled this area ...

and the

were less than cordial at the time. A greater sin than the gift itself was the fact that Hoffman had tried to hide it from the

, the

parliament. Hoffman was asked to step down but refused. Commandant

Johan Fick General Johan Isak Jacobus Fick was the founder of Ficksburg, a town in the Free State province, South Africa. After the Basotho Wars, peace was made and the town named after Johan Fick. He was also known as Commandant Generaal Johan Fick. He was ...

was asked to lead 1,200 men to the presidential residence to ask Hoffman to step down. He first refused, but once Fick setup cannons facing the residence, Hoffman agreed to leave the office and did so on 10 February 1854. He was succeeded by a (temporary) Presidential Executive Commission, chaired by the influential

burgher Burgher may refer to: * Burgher (social class), a medieval, early modern European title of a citizen of a town, and a social class from which city officials could be drawn ** Burgess (title), a resident of a burgh in northern Britain ** Grand Bu ...

J.J. Venter. He died on his farm ('plaas') Slootkraal, District Wepener, Orange Free State on 13 October 1879.Kultuur Dagboek on Facebook

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Josias Philip Afrikaner people People from the Free State (province) State Presidents of the Orange Free State 1807 births 1879 deaths Members of the Volksraad of the Orange Free State Orange Free State independence activists

Career

See also

Notes

References