De Villiers Graaff

Sir De Villiers Graaff, 2nd Baronet
Sir De Villiers Graaff in military uniform during World War II.
Born	December 8, 1913(1913-12-08) Union of South Africa
Died	October 4, 1999(1999-10-04) (aged 85) Cape Town, South Africa
Occupation	Politician, Lawyer, Dairy Farmer
Nationality	South African

Sir De Villiers Graaff, 2nd Baronet (8 December 1913 - 4 October 1999) (given name De Villiers, surname Graaff) known as Div Graaf, was a South African politician who succeeded his father, Sir David Pieter de Villiers Graaff, 1st Baronet, to his baronetcy in 1931. He died in 1999 and was succeeded by his son, Sir David de Villiers Graaff, 3rd Baronet.

He became a member of Parliament in 1948, the year his United Party was ousted from government by the conservative National Party, which promised to enact a de jure system of apartheid. Victory in De Villiers' constituency (Hottentots-Holland) was the only UP pickup in the election; nevertheless, Graaff took over leadership of the United Party in 1956 from J.G.N. Strauss. He led the opposition to the governments of three apartheid prime ministers, Johannes Strijdom, Hendrik Verwoerd, and B.J. Vorster. In 1977, the United Party was dissolved and the New Republic Party was founded, of which he briefly served as interim leader before retiring. Graaff succeeded his father as baronet in 1931 and the following year played two first-class cricket matches for Western Province.

The M1 highway, which was originally part of a ring road around the southern end of the Central Business District of Johannesburg to the affluent northern suburbs, was named the De Villiers Graaff Motorway in his honour.

This baronetcy is one of twelve conferred on South Africans between 1841 and 1924.

His youngest brother is Johannes de Villiers Graaff, a noted South African Welfare Economist.

Other Pictures

References

• Div Looks Back: The memoirs of Sir De Villiers Graaff. Human & Rousseau, Cape Town. 1993. ISBN 0-7981-3176-4. 

External links

• CricketArchive: De Villiers Graaff

De Villiers Graaff House De Graeff Born: 8 December 1913 Died: 4 October 1999
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir David Graaff, 1st Baronet	Baronet (of Graaff Baronets of Tygerberg, South Africa) 1931–1999	Succeeded by Sir David Graaff, 3rd Baronet
Political offices
Preceded by Jacobus Gideon Nel Strauss	Leader of the United Party 1956–1977	Succeeded by disbanded