Volksraad (Orange Free State)

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Volksraad van die Oranje-Vrystaat
Coat of arms of the Orange Free State.svg
Coat of arms of the Orange Free State
Type
Type
History
Established1854
Disbanded31 May 1902
Structure
Seats57 [1]
Length of term
4 years
Meeting place
Bloemfontein

The Volksraad of the Orange Free State (Afrikaans : Volksraad van die Oranje-Vrystaat) was the unicameral parliament of the Orange Free State. It was the supreme authority of Orange Free State. [2]

Volksraad had 52-57 members representing major town and districts in the republic. [3] The members had to be of European blood, over twenty-five years old, resident in the republic for at least one year, possessed real estate of the value of £200, and never convicted of crime. [2] [3] The districts represented by members of Volksraad were Bloemfontein, Fauresmith, Caledon River, Winburg, Harrismith, Kroonstad, Boshof, Bethulie, Philippolis and Jacobsdal. [4]

The members were elected for four years, half of them retiring every second year. [2] Burghers were able to vote.

The Volksraad met once a year in ordinary session [2] in Bloemfontein. During Second Boer War, Volksraad met in Kroonstad in 1900. [3]

Parliament House of the Orange Free State Parliament House of the Orange Free State - page 329 of "Battles of the nineteenth century" (1901).jpg
Parliament House of the Orange Free State

Chairmen

The chairman of the Volksraad (Voorzitter van den Volksraad) was elected annually. [5]

ChairmanTook officeLeft officeNotes
Josias Philip Hoffman March 1854June 1854 [6]
Henry Halse June 1854? [7]
Gert Petrus Visser 1855 [8] ?
Lodewyk Jacobus Papenfus ?-18571857-? [9]
Esaias Reynier Snijman ?-18591859-? [10]
J. N. Uijs ?-18601860-? [11]
Gert Petrus Visser ?-1861 [12] 1863-? [13]
Esaias Reynier Snijman ?-18641864-? [13]
Gert Petrus Visser ?-18651865-? [14]
Hendrik Oostewald Dreyer ?-18661866 [2]
Gerhardus Johannes du Toit 1866? [15]
Gert Petrus Visser ?-18671875-? [16]
Tobias de Villiers ?-18761876-? [3]
Gert Petrus Visser ?-18771879 [17] [3]
Tobias de Villiers 1879 [17] 1884 [17] [3]
John G. Fraser 1884 [17] 1896 [18]
Christiaan Willem Hendrik Van Der Post 1896 [19] 1897 [20]
Cornelius Hermanus Wessels 1897 [21] 1899-? [3]
Johan Godfried Luyt June 1900June 1900Last chairman [22]

References

  1. ↑ Martin, Frederick; Keltie, Sir John Scott; Renwick, Isaac Parker Anderson; Epstein, Mortimer; Steinberg, Sigfrid Henry; Paxton, John; Hunter (Librarian), Brian; Turner, Barry (1894). "The Statesman's Year-book 1894". Palgrave.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 McCall Theal, George (1908). History of South Africa Since September 1795 (PDF). Swan Sonnenschein & Co. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Eales, Marjory. An Annotated Guide to the Pre-Union Government Publications of the Orange Free State 1854-1910 (PDF).
  4. ↑ "Notulen der verrichtingen van de Hoog-Edelen Volksraad" (in Dutch). 1866.
  5. ↑ "Select Constitutional Documents Illustrating South African History 1795 – 1910 – Boererate". boere.co.za.
  6. ↑ "Orange Free State: Heads of State: 1854-1902 - Archontology.org". www.archontology.org.
  7. ↑ Collins, W. W. (1907). "Free Statia" or Reminiscences of a Lifetime in the Orange Free State. Bloemfontein, O.R.C.
  8. ↑ Lloyd, Angela Read (2002). "Bridging the Divide: The Story of a Boer-British Family". Jonathan Ball.
  9. ↑ Muller, Hendrik Pieter Nicolaas (1907). "Oude tijden in den Oranje-Vrijstaat" (in Dutch). Brill Archive.
  10. ↑ "Notulen der verrichtingen van de Hoog-Edelen Volksraad" (in Dutch). 1859.
  11. ↑ "Notulen der verrichtingen van de Hoog-Edelen Volksraad" (in Dutch). 1871.
  12. ↑ "Notulen der verrichtingen van de Hoog-Edelen Volksraad" (in Dutch). 1861.
  13. 1 2 "Notulen der verrichtingen van de Hoog-Edelen Volksraad" (in Dutch). 1864.
  14. ↑ "Notulen der verrichtingen van de Hoog-Edelen Volksraad" (in Dutch). 1865.
  15. ↑ "Notulen der verrichtingen van de Hoog-Edelen Volksraad" (in Dutch). 1866.
  16. ↑ "Notulen der verrichtingen van de Hoog-Edelen Volksraad" (in Dutch). 1867.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Boon, Martin James (1885). "The History of the Orange Free State". W. Reeves.
  18. ↑ Parliament of South Africa (1911). "Who's who in the Union of Parliament: Portraits and Biographies of the Members of the Two Houses of the First Parliament of the Union of South Africa". Cape Times Limited.
  19. ↑ Oordt, Johan Frederik Van (1899). "Onder de vierkleur: Een verhaal uit den tijd van den Jameson-inval" (in Dutch). Hollandsch-afrikaansche uitgevers-maatschappij v/h. J. Dusseau.
  20. ↑ Scholtz, Gert Daniel (1936). "Die konstitusie en die staatsinstellings van die Oranje-vry-staat, 1854-1902 ..." (in Afrikaans). N. v. Swets & Zeitlinger.
  21. ↑ Beaufort, Willem H. de (1993). "Dagboeken en aantekeningen van Willem Hendrik de Beaufort, 1874-1918" (in Dutch). Instituut voor Nederlandse Geschiedenis.
  22. ↑ "Who's who of Southern Africa". K. Donaldson. 1911.
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