Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd

Life and work

The story behind the role.

Prime Minister of South Africa from 1958 until his assassination in 1966.

Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (Afrikaans: [fərˈvuːrt]; 8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966), also known as H. F. Verwoerd, was a Dutch-born South African politician, academic, and newspaper editor who served as Prime Minister of South Africa from 1958 until his assassination in 1966. He is commonly regarded as the architect of apartheid and nicknamed the "father of apartheid". Verwoerd played a significant role in socially engineering apartheid—the country's system of institutionalized racial segregation and white supremacy—and implementing its policies as Minister of Native Affairs (1950–1958) and later as prime minister (1958–1966). Verwoerd was instrumental in helping the National Party come to power in 1948, serving as its political strategist and propagandist, and he became party leader when he was elected prime minister. He was the Union of South Africa's last prime minister; in 1961 he proclaimed the founding of the Republic of South Africa and remained its prime minister until his assassination. Verwoerd was an authoritarian, socially conservative leader and an Afrikaner nationalist. He was a member of the Afrikaner Broederbond (Afrikaans: Afrikaner Brotherhood), a secret white supremacist and Calvinist organization dedicated to advancing Afrikaner interests. During World War II, he protested against South Africa's declaration of war on Nazi Germany. Following the electoral victory of the Herenigde Nasionale Party (which would later become part of the National Party) in 1948, Verwoerd held senior government positions and wielded strong influence over South African society. As prime minister, Verwoerd's desire to ensure white, and especially Afrikaner, dominance was a primary reason for his support of a republic. To justify apartheid to international audiences, he…

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