Sir Thomas Watt (1857 1947) was a South African politician and cabinet minister. Watt studied at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and became a lawyer. In 1883 he arrived in Natal and went to

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

. After serving for Britain in the Anglo-Boer War, he was elected to the Natal Legislative Assembly and became Minister of Justice and Education for the colony and later from 1908 to 1909 a member of the National Convention which drafted the South African Act in terms of which Union was possible the following year. After the unification he became Minister of Posts and Public Works in

Louis Botha Louis Botha (; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa – the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer War, ...

's cabinet. He serves under him and Jan Smuts fell to the South African Party in 1924 as Minister of Public Welfare, Home Affairs and Railways. He died in 1947 at the age of 90. In 1907, the King approved the retention of the title "Honourable" as he had served for more than three years as a member of the Executive Council of the Colony of Natal. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(KCMG) in the

1912 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1912 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were announced on 29 December 1911. Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross (GCB) ; ...

, having been appointed a Commander of the same Order in the

1906 Birthday Honours The 1906 Birthday Honours for the British Empire were announced on 29 June, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII on 9 November. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, w ...

References

* Rosenthal, Eric. 1978. ''Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa.'' Cape Town and Johannesburg: Juta and Company Limited. 1857 births 1947 deaths Alumni of the University of Glasgow Politicians from Glasgow Scottish emigrants to South Africa 20th-century South African politicians Health ministers of South Africa Ministers of Home Affairs of South Africa

Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

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