Nicolaas Johannes "Nico" Diederichs (17 November 1903,

Ladybrand Ladybrand is a small agricultural town in the Free State (South African province), Free State province of South Africa, situated 18 km from Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. Ladybrand is one of five towns that forms the Mantsopa Local Municipa ...

– 21 August 1978) served as the

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

state president of South Africa The State President of the Republic of South Africa ( af, Staatspresident) was the head of state of South Africa from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country became a republic on 31 May 1961, albeit, outside the Commonweal ...

from 1975 to 1978.

Education and career

After completing school, he attended Grey University College between 1921 and 1925 where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Dutch & Ethics) and Master of Arts (Philosophy). As an economist, he educated himself overseas at universities in Munich, Cologne, Berlin and Leiden, obtaining a doctorate from the

University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...

and a

D.Litt Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

degree. Resuming a career in South Africa, he became a lecturer and later a professor at the

University of the Orange Free State The University of the Free State is a multi-campus public university in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State and the judicial capital of South Africa. It was first established as an institution of higher learning in 1904 as a tertiary se ...

, in Political Science and Philosophy. During the 1930s and 1940s he became a prominent figure in

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

nationalist circles. He founded the ''Reddingsdaadbond'' organisation to promote the economic wellbeing of Afrikaners.

Political career

Diederichs was a National Party member of Parliament from 1953 to 1975. He served as Minister of Economic Affairs from 1958 to 1967, as Minister of Mines from 1961 to 1964, and as Minister of Finance from 1967 to 1975. In the latter capacity he became known as "Mr Gold". He served as the first chancellor of the

Rand Afrikaans University The Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) was a prominent South African institution of higher education and research that served the greater Johannesburg area and surroundings from 1967 to 2004. It has since merged with the Technikon Witwatersrand ...

and ceremonial

State President of South Africa The State President of the Republic of South Africa ( af, Staatspresident) was the head of state of South Africa from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country became a republic on 31 May 1961, albeit, outside the Commonweal ...

from 1975 until his death, after a short illness, of a heart attack on 21 August 1978 in Cape Town.

Honours

Diederichs was honoured with medals from various countries. he was awarded a gold medal from the City of Paris (1971), made a Knight of the Greater Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

in 1973 and an

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

from Paraguay in 1974. He was awarded honoury doctoral degrees from the Universities of the Orange Free State and Stellenbosch.

Depiction on coins

He is depicted on the obverses of the 1979

coins of the South African rand The coins of the South African rand are part of the physical form of South Africa's currency, the South African rand. 1961–1964 The rand was introduced in the then Union of South Africa on 14 February 1961, shortly before the establish ...

from 1/2 Cent to 1 Rand, which was struck as a memorial commemorative series.

Publications by Nicolaas Diederichs (selection)

* Nicolaas Diederichs: ''Vom Leiden und Dulden''. Bonn, 1930. (Dissertation Leiden University) * N. Diederichs: ''Die Volkebond, sy ontstaan, samestelling en werksaamhede''. Pretoria, 1933 * N. Diederichs: ''Nasionalisme as lewensbeskouing en sy verhouding tot internasionalisme''. Bloemfontein, 1936

References

;Specific ;Bibliography * Eric Rosenthal (ed.): ''Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa''. Juta and Company Limited, Kaapstad en Johannesburg, 1978.

External links

Website South African History about Nicolaas Diederichs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diederichs, Nicolaas Johannes 1903 births 1978 deaths People from Ladybrand Afrikaner people Afrikaner nationalists South African people of German descent National Party (South Africa) politicians State Presidents of South Africa Finance ministers of South Africa Members of the House of Assembly (South Africa) Leiden University alumni