John Wessels

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Sir John Wessels
5th Chief Justice of South Africa
In office
1932–1936
Preceded byJacob de Villiers
Succeeded byJohn Curlewis
Judge of the Appellate Division
In office
1923–1936
Judge President of the Transvaal Provincial Division
In office
1920–1923
Preceded byJacob de Villiers
Succeeded byArthur Weir Mason
Judge of the Transvaal Supreme Court and Transvaal Provincial Division
In office
1902–1923
Personal details
Born7 March 1862[1]
Cape Town, Cape Colony
Died6 September 1936 (aged 74)[2]
Pretoria, South Africa
NationalitySouth African
Alma materSouth African College
Cape University
Downing College, Cambridge
ProfessionBarrister

Sir Johannes (John) Wilhelmus Wessels (1862–1936) was an Afrikaner judge of the Appellate Division from 1923 to 1936 and Chief Justice of South Africa from 1932 to 1936.[3]

Career[]

After the end of the Second Boer War, the government of the newly created British Colony of Transvaal established a Supreme Court of Transvaal in April 1902. The governor, Lord Milner, appointed Wessels as one of three puisne judges, with Sir James Rose Innes as Chief Justice.[4] On the establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910, he became a judge of the Transvaal Provincial Division.

References[]

  1. ^ South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Registers, 1660-1970
  2. ^ England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858–1995
  3. ^ Zimmermann, Reinhard; Visser, Daniel (1996). Southern Cross: Civil Law and Common Law in South Africa. Cape Town: Juta. pp. 123–124.
  4. ^ "The Transvaal". The Times (36744). London. 17 April 1902. p. 5.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Jacob de Villiers
Chief Justice of South Africa
1932–1936
Succeeded by
John Curlewis


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