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610:, seeing him as a loyal ally. The job was not an easy one and asked all of Wessels' diplomatic skills. As a British appointee and a member of the South African Party, he initially ran into considerable opposition and enmity from both the Executive Committee and the Provincial Council, of which most of the members supported the
633:
Financially
Wessels was independent, due to his fortuitous farming activities. In character he was modest, courteous to others, interested in people, and a good story-teller. Altogether these traits accounted for his natural aptitude for diplomacy and his long and successful political career,
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and the South
African Republic. The same holds true for the efforts to forge a South African customs union in the 1890s. Wessels was a very practical man and was qualified by the British as the 'business brain' in the Orange Free State government. For several years, he was a director of the
552:, he refused to take part in the British colonial administration, but he did use his diplomatic skills to promote mutual understanding between the Afrikaner citizens and the British government. With the return of responsible government, Wessels re-entered the political arena. Together with
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Afrikaner politics were complicated in the new colonial province, and
Wessels fell out with Hertzog about agricultural affairs, the appointment of English-speaking officials in his department, and because of temperamental differences. After the formation of the
429:, where his parents moved when he was five years old. Here he received some private tuition, before – still at a young age – becoming a full-time and successful farmer. In 1892, he bought the farm Kwagafontein just outside Bloemfontein.
385:(1899â1902), Wessels was first a member of the war cabinet, and later a member of the Joint Diplomatic Delegation of the Boer Republics sent to Europe and the United States to muster support for the Boer cause. After the war Wessels sided with
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Wessels married twice. His first wife was
Christina Magdalena (nÊe) Wessels (d. 5 November 1905), with whom he had five sons and three daughters. He remarried in 1907 with Eliza Alice Bosman nÊe Keytler (d. 6 March 1941), a widow.
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a landslide election victory. Wessels was elected to the
Assembly for the Bloemfontein-South constituency, and took up the appointment of Minister for Mines, Lands, and Public Works in the new government, led by A. Fischer.
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he developed his skills as a diplomat and mediator, and was involved in many of the important political decisions the Orange Free State had to make in the 1880s and 1890s. In 1897 he was appointed president of the
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541:, when Wessels brought a private visit to the Netherlands. The delegation's mission to Europe failed, and was caught out by history in the United States. After the conclusion of the
625:
In
November 1923, aged 72, Wessels suffered a stroke, and although he recovered almost fully, a second stroke hit him on 15 February 1924, and he died as a result two weeks later.
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in 1899. Wessels was a natural leader, and this was the main reason for his continued election to office. However, being a member of the influential and large
Wessels clan helped.
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as a member of his war cabinet, the 'Krijgscommissie' (War
Commission). When the war progressed and the Boer republics were looking for support from European states and the
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In the 1880s, Wessels was also a leading figure in the discussions about the extension of the railway network of the Orange Free State and the direct connections with the
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about closer co-operation between the two Boer states. From 1897, he represented the Orange Free State in the
Council of Representatives that monitored the co-operation.
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Wessels life was marked by two activities: farming and politics, and in both he was mainly self-educated. In 1885, at age thirty-four, Wessels was elected to the
494:
537:. The encounter with Muller was a renewal of friendly relations between the two men, who first met in Bloemfontein in 1898, and again in May 1899 in
436:(the Free State parliament) for the Modderrivier area of Boshof. He was to represent this constituency for fourteen years, until the outbreak of the
885:
880:
599:, Wessels stayed true to his political convictions and reconciliatory attitude towards the British. He did not shift his allegiance to the
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Wessels' political influence showed itself in him being appointed to several important positions regarding the discussions between the
409:
Wessels was the youngest son of three boys and two girls born to
Johannes Jacobus Wessels and Hester Sophia Antonetta (nÊe) Wessels.
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and Wessels as members for the South African Republic and the Orange Free State respectively. In Europe, the deputation met up with
614:. Nevertheless, Wessels succeeded in making his administration a success, and in 1919, the Union government proposed him for a
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and became a cabinet minister in the Free State government. In 1915, the colonial government appointed Wessels as
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501:. In this position, Wessels' diplomatic skills and strict impartiality acquired him great respect. During the
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789:. Vol. 3. Kaapstad & Johannesburg: Raad vir die Geesteswetenskaplike Navorsing. pp. 857â858.
660:. Vol. 3. Kaapstad & Johannesburg: Raad vir die Geesteswetenskaplike Navorsing. pp. 857â858.
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like most of his Orange Free State colleagues, and this cost him the parliamentary election of 1914.
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way of life. Mainly self-educated, he turned to politics in his early thirties. As a member of the
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Special Diplomatic Delegation of the Boer Republics to Europe and America, 1900, l.t.r. front:
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Wessels' political acumen brought him high office, from 1894 to 1896 as representative of the
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Wessels stemmed from an important Orange Free State family clan, dedicated to farming and the
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This article is about the South African statesman. For the Dutch jesuit historian, see
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Member of the Diplomatic Delegation of the Boer Republics to Europe and America
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Wessels and the other member of the delegation returned to South Africa.
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This article is predominantly based on the information derived from
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Minister for Mines, Lands, and Public Works of the Orange Free State
397:. He was awarded a knighthood for his services to the state in the
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533:, consul general and special envoy of the Orange Free State in
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Vice President of the Volksraad of the Orange Free State
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Member of the Executive Council of the Orange Free State
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South African Party (Union of South Africa) politicians
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In June 1915, the British government appointed Wessels
785:
Moll, J.C. (1976). "Wessels, Sir Cornelius Hermanus".
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Moll, J.C. (1976). "Wessels, Sir Cornelius Hermanus".
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although it did not make him a visionary statesman.
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President of the Volksraad of the Orange Free State
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570:and he became the director of the party newspaper
131:Member of the War Cabinet of the Orange Free State
876:Members of the Volksraad of the Orange Free State
737:Moll, 'Wessels, Sir Cornelius Hermanus', 858-left
673:Moll, 'Wessels, Sir Cornelius Hermanus', 857-left
50:Member of the Volksraad of the Orange Free State
871:Members of the House of Assembly (South Africa)
796:'n Nederlander in diens van die Oranje-Vrystaat
525:, ambassador for the South African Republic in
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23:South African farmer, statesman, and diplomat
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608:administrator of the Orange Free State
564:he founded a new political party, the
461:National Bank of the Orange Free State
395:administrator of the Orange Free State
201:Administrator of the Orange Free State
125:Christiaan Willem Hendrik Van Der Post
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798:. Amsterdam: Swets & Zeitlinger.
771:. 19 March 1920. pp. 3431â3432.
587:, Wessels aligned himself with the
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362:) was a South African statesman.
886:South African Knights Bachelor
340:Sir Cornelius Hermanus Wessels
30:Sir Cornelius Hermanus Wessels
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881:Orange Free State politicians
794:Spies, F.J. du Toit (1946).
342:(26 April 1851 Rietfontein,
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595:. During and after the
421:Wessels grew up in the
318:Kwagafontein farm, nr.
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449:South African Republic
620:1920 New Year Honours
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399:1920 New Year Honours
360:Union of South Africa
350:– 1 March 1924
294:Union of South Africa
589:South African Party
550:Orange River Colony
309:South African Party
815:WorldStatesmen.org
768:The London Gazette
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329:Farmer, Politician
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597:Rebellion of 1914
503:South African War
495:Executive Council
484:Dr. H.P.N. Muller
445:Orange Free State
438:South African War
427:Orange Free State
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280:(1924-03-01)
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230:Succeeded by
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763:"No. 31830"
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558:C.R. de Wet
456:Cape Colony
381:During the
218:Preceded by
182:Preceded by
120:Preceded by
840:Categories
779:Literature
638:References
616:knighthood
572:The Friend
562:A. Fischer
523:W.J. Leyds
515:A. Fischer
476:A. Fischer
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256:1851-04-26
186:New office
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539:The Hague
499:Volksraad
491:Volksraad
434:Volksraad
376:Volksraad
371:Volksraad
212:1915â1924
208:In office
176:1907â1914
172:In office
158:1900â1902
154:In office
142:1899â1900
138:In office
114:1897â1899
110:In office
96:1896â1897
92:In office
78:1894â1896
74:In office
58:In office
804:Websites
719:Spies, '
527:Brussels
447:and the
820:5 April
493:in the
425:in the
391:Hertzog
344:Winburg
264:Winburg
196:Unknown
629:Legacy
405:Family
387:De Wet
643:Notes
822:2008
560:and
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