Harry Frederick Oppenheimer
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Harry Frederick Oppenheimer (28 October 1908 – 19 August 2000) was a prominent South African businessman and one of the world's richest men. In 2004 he was voted 60th in the SABC3's Great South Africans.
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[edit] Family origins
The son of Ernest Oppenheimer (who was soon to found Anglo American Corporation, and become chairman of De Beers Consolidated Mines), Harry was born to an assimilated Jewish family of German origins in Kimberley, the original centre for diamond mining in South Africa, and lived most of his life in Johannesburg. He had a formal Bar mitzvah ("coming of age") ceremony in the Kimberly synagogue when he turned thirteen.
[edit] Education and marriage
After completing his primary schooling in Johannesburg, he attended Charterhouse School in England, before going on to study at Christ Church, Oxford University, graduating in 1931 in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. When he married his wife Bridget, he chose to enter the Anglican Church, yet nevertheless he remained a supporter of Jewish causes during his entire life. He authorized the flow of diamonds to Israel's important diamond-sorting and diamond-cutting industry.
[edit] Chairman of Anglo American Corporation and De Beers
Harry Oppenheimer was the chairman of Anglo American Corporation for a quarter of a century and chairman of De Beers Consolidated Mines for 27 years until he retired from those positions in 1982 and 1984 respectively. His son Nicky Oppenheimer became Deputy Chairman of Anglo in 1983 and Chairman of De Beers in 1998. He subsequently resigned as Deputy Chairman of Anglo in 2001.
[edit] Politics
He also spent some time as the Member of Parliament for Kimberley (1948 to 1957) and became the opposition spokesman on economics, finance and constitutional affairs. His opposition to apartheid was well known as were his philanthropy and business acumen.
He was also extremely generous to the official philanthropies of the State of Israel. He personally directed that Israel receive the necessary diamond raw products from De Beers in order to establish itself as one of the world's diamond polishing and exporting countries.
[edit] Anti-Apartheid activism
In the 1970s and 1980s, he financed the anti-apartheid Progressive Federal Party , that later merged the Democratic Alliance. Later he became a good friend of Nelson Mandela. Some people believe that he could have done more to end the regime, but within his sphere of influence he is believed to have done more than most of his fellow-businessmen.
[edit] External links
- Harry Oppenheimer (His life and achievements)
| Preceded by Ernest Oppenheimer |
Chairman of De Beers Consolidated Mines circa circa 1960-1983 |
Succeeded by Nicky Oppenheimer |
