Former Colonial Prime Minister John Merriman dies

Date: 2 Aug 1926
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Former Colonial Prime Minister John Merriman dies

South African statesman and the last prime minister of the Cape Colony before the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, John Xavier Merriman, died in Stellenbosch at the age of 85. Merriman was one of only a few members of Parliament who opposed the Native Land Act introduced in 1913, which drastically limited African ownership of land.

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How we know this

01Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau.
02Potgieter, D.J. et al. (eds)(1970). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Cape Town: NASOU, v. 7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_X._Merriman

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). Former Colonial Prime Minister John Merriman dies. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011480

South African History Online (2011) 'Former Colonial Prime Minister John Merriman dies', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011480 (Accessed: 4 October 2026).

South African History Online, Former Colonial Prime Minister John Merriman dies [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011480, (accessed 4 October 2026).

"Former Colonial Prime Minister John Merriman dies." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011480. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

South African History Online. "Former Colonial Prime Minister John Merriman dies." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011480.