|
|
|
|
|
|
Cecil John Rhodes
He and his brother began by farming cotton in Natal in 1870. This venture did not prove successful and along with his brother, he joined the hunt for diamonds and became a prospector. By the time he had reached 19 years of age he had made a substantial fortune. During his time in South Africa, his health had improved to the point that he was able to return to the UK in 1873 and pursue a degree at Oxford University. Due to his frequent trips back to South Africa, he did not receive his degree until 1881. In addition to furthering his academic qualifications, he also founded the formidable and world famous De Beers Mining Company, along with Barney Barnato. In 1881 he entered the Cape Colony Parliament, he was to hold a seat in this Parliament for the rest of his life, becoming Prime Minister in 1890. In 1889 Rhodes incorporated the British South Africa Company and obtained a Royal Charter to explore and exploit the territory to the north of the Limpopo River, these territories would eventually become Southern and Northern Rhodesia. As a dedicated Empire builder, he had a dream of establishing a railway from the Cape to Cairo, in order to cement the British Empire in Africa, a dream he was unfortunately unable to realize during his tragically short lifetime. As previously mentioned, in 1890 Cecil John Rhodes became Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, however, he was implicated in the Jameson Raid of 1896, in which Dr Starr Jameson, a friend of Rhodes, attempted to overthrow the Afrikaaner Republic of the Transvaal. The raid failed in its aims and although Rhodes was acquitted of any responsibility for the raid, he was forced to resign his position as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. During the Boer War of 1899 - 1902, Rhodes was prominent in the defense of Kimberly and helped to hold the Boer forces at bay. He had desperately wished to see an end to the war but unfortunately, his fragile health finally caught up with him, and he died at Cape Town on the 26th March 1902, before the end of hostilities. Cecil John Rhodes, Empire builder and great visionary, never married. In his Will, he left the bulk of his considerable fortune, some six million Pounds, a vast sum in those days, to the establishment of his greatest legacy, the Rhodes Scholarships, which continue to this day. These scholarships reveal the true farsightedness of one of the greatest men of the 19th century. There is a museum in Cecil John Rhodes home town of Bishops Stortford UK which can be visited:
|
||||||||||||||
