View source for Cabinet of Louis Botha (Transvaal Colony)

{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox government cabinet
| cabinet_name            =
| cabinet_type            = <!-- an alternative name for "cabinet"; defaults to "cabinet" -->
| cabinet_number          = 1st
| jurisdiction            = [[Transvaal Colony]]<br>{{small|(since grant of self-government, 6 December 1906)}}
| flag                    = Flag of the Transvaal Colony (1904–1910).svg
| flag_border             = true
| incumbent               = 1907
| image                   = General Louis Botha (6282413691).jpg
| caption                 =
| date_formed             = {{Start date|df=yes|1907|03|04}}
| date_dissolved          = {{End date|df=yes|1910|05|31}}
| government_head         = [[Louis Botha]]
| government_head_history =
| state_head              = [[Edward VII]]<br/>[[George V]] (represented by [[William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne|The Earl of Selborne]], High Commissioner)
| members_number          = 6
| former_members_number   =
| total_number            =
| political_party         = [[Het Volk (political party)|Het Volk Party]]<br/>[[Transvaal National Association|National Association]]
| legislature_status      = [[Majority government|Majority]]
| opposition_cabinet      =
| opposition_party        = [[Progressive Party (Cape Colony)|Progressive Party]]
| opposition_leader       = [[George Farrar]]
| election                = [[Transvaal colonial election, 1907|1907]]
| last_election           =
| legislature_term        = {{Age in years, months and days|1907|02|01|1910|05|31}}
| budget                  =
| advice_and_consent1     =
| advice_and_consent2     = <!-- up to 5 times -->
| incoming_formation      =
| outgoing_formation      =
| previous                = None
| successor               = [[Transvaal Provincial Council|1st Provincial Executive Committee]]
}}
[[File:1907 Transvaal Colony parliamentary election map.svg|thumb|1907 election results.]]
[[Louis Botha]] became Prime Minister of the [[Transvaal Colony]] on 4 March 1907, following the results of the [[Transvaal colonial election, 1907|election of 1907]], with his [[Het Volk (political party)|Het Volk Party]] winning 37 out of 69 seats (including three affiliated independents) to the [[Transvaal Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]], ahead of the [[Progressive Party (Cape Colony)|Progressive Party]] (21 seats), the National Association (16), Labour (3 seats) and 2 independents.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Garson |first1=N. G. |title='Het Volk': The Botha-Smuts Party in the Transvaal, 1904-11 |journal=The Historical Journal |date=1966 |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=115|doi=10.1017/S0018246X0002639X }}</ref> On the results, the Governor, [[William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne|The Earl of Selbourne]], wrote to the [[Colonial Office]]: "The clear majority which Het Volk has won over all other parties combined, together with the defeat of [[Richard Solomon (barrister)|Sir Richard Solomon]] by [[James Percy FitzPatrick|Sir Percy FitzPatrick]], has of course made it necessary for me to send for General Botha, and I have very little doubt that he will form a Ministry consisting mainly, if not entirely, of members of his own party".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Garson |first1=N. G. |title='Het Volk': The Botha-Smuts Party in the Transvaal, 1904-11 |journal=The Historical Journal |date=1966 |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=115–116|doi=10.1017/S0018246X0002639X }}</ref>
After having initially considered a fully Het Volk ministry, at the instigation of former Colonial Attorney-General, Sir Richard Solomon (who declined to serve in the cabinet and was appointed to be [[Agent-General]] in London), Botha subsequently formed a 6-member cabinet (maximum allowed) with members of the Nationalist Party, who "were all men of progressive, in some respects democratic, views, and in thus forming his cabinet General Botha showed his determination not to be dominated by the “back veld” Boers".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58132103 |title=TRANSVAAL CABINET. |newspaper=[[The Register (Adelaide)]] |location=South Australia |date=5 March 1907 |access-date=10 April 2020 |page=5 |via=Trove }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14841116 |title=TRANSVAAL MINISTRY. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=5 March 1907 |access-date=10 April 2020 |page=7 |via=Trove }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Keltie |editor1-first=J. Scott |title=The Statesman's Year-Book 1910 |date=1910 |publisher=Macmillan & Co. |location=London |isbn=978-0-230-27039-8 |pages=214–215 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9LMDQAAQBAJ}}</ref> Among the members of Het Volk who were originally considered for positions were diamond mine manager, [[Thomas Cullinan (diamond magnate)|Thomas Cullinan]] (Lands/Public Works) and [[Stockenström baronets|Andries Stockenstrom]] (Speaker).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196155266 |title=THE TRANSVAAL |newspaper=[[The Age]] |location=Victoria, Australia |date=25 February 1907 |access-date=10 April 2020 |page=7 |via=Trove }}</ref>
The ministry was formally sworn into office in [[Ou Raadsaal|Parliament Hall]], [[Pretoria]] by the [[List of governors of British South African colonies#Transvaal Colony|Governor]], [[William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne|The Earl of Selborne]], on 4 March 1907.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article163158821 |title=TRANSVAAL PARLIAMENT. |newspaper=[[The Observer (Adelaide)|Observer]] |location=South Australia |date=9 March 1907 |access-date=10 April 2020 |page=35 |via=Trove }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204998199 |title=BRITON OR BOER? |newspaper=[[The Age]] |location=Victoria, Australia |date=21 September 1907 |access-date=10 April 2020 |page=20 |via=Trove }}</ref> The Cabinet was involved in discussions to form the [[Union of South Africa]], with Botha, Smuts and Hull attending the 1908–09 [[National Convention (South Africa)|National Convention]] as delegates, and which was finally achieved on 31 May 1910. The Cabinet was the only body of the Transvaal Colony from the granting of responsible self-government by [[letters patent]] on 6 December 1906, and was superseded by the Transvaal Provincial Executive Committee of the [[Transvaal Provincial Council]] with Rissik as the first Provincial Administrator.
==Cabinet==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Portfolio
!Minister
!Party
!Term start
!Term end
|-
|[[List of governors of British South African colonies#Prime Minister of the Transvaal|Prime Minister]]<br/>Minister of Agriculture
|Rt Hon. [[Louis Botha]]
|rowspan="2"|Het Volk
|rowspan="6" align="center"|4 March 1907
|rowspan="6" align="center"|31 May 1910
|-
|[[Chief secretary (British Empire)|Colonial Secretary]]
|Hon. [[Jan Smuts]]
|-
|Minister of Public Works
|Hon. [[Edward Philip Solomon]]
|rowspan="2"|National Association
|-
|Colonial Treasurer
|Hon. [[Henry Charles Hull]]
|-
|Attorney-General<br/>Minister of Mines
|Hon. [[Jacob de Villiers]]
|Het Volk
|-
|Minister of Lands<br/>Minister of Native Affairs
|Hon. [[Johann Rissik]]
|National Association
|}
==Sources==
{{Wikisource|1=Page:EB1911 - Volume 27.djvu/224|2=Transvaal From Annexation to 1911}}
{{reflist}}
{{South African Governments}}
{{Political history of South Africa}}
[[Category:Transvaal]]
[[Category:Establishments in Transvaal]]
[[Category:Transvaal Colony people]]
[[Category:Cabinets of South Africa]]
[[Category:Cabinets established in 1907]]
[[Category:Cabinets disestablished in 1910]]