John Wessels

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]

The Right Honourable Sir John Wessels
5th Chief Justice of South Africa
In office 1932–1936
Preceded by	Jacob de Villiers
Succeeded by	John Curlewis
Judge of the Appellate Division
In office 1923–1936
Judge President of the Transvaal Provincial Division
In office 1920–1923
Judge of the Transvaal Supreme Court and Transvaal Provincial Division
In office 1902–1923
Personal details
Born	7 March 1862[1] Cape Town, Cape Colony
Died	6 September 1936 (aged 74)[2] Pretoria, South Africa
Nationality	South African
Alma mater	South African College Cape University Downing College, Cambridge
Profession	Barrister

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.