Cecil Rhodes

Cecil John Rhodes (July 5, 1853 – March 26, 1902) was an English businessman and the effective founder of the state of Rhodesia (which was named after him). Rhodesia (later Northern and Southern Rhodesia) eventually became Zambia and Zimbabwe. Rhodes profited greatly from Southern Africa's natural resources, proceeds of which founded the Rhodes Scholarship upon his death.

Rhodes' Will and the Rhodes Scholarship

Although he remained a leading figure in the politics of southern Africa, especially during the Boer War, he was dogged by ill-health throughout his relatively short life.

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In his will, he left his money for the establishment of a secret society that would enable Britain to rule the entire productive world. The exact words are as follows:

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:To and for the establishment, promotion and development of a Secret Society, the true aim and object whereof shall be for the extension of British rule throughout the world, the perfecting of a system of emigration from the United Kingdom, and of colonisation by British subjects of all lands where the means of livelihood are attainable by energy, labour and enterprise, and especially the occupation by British settlers of the entire Continent of Africa, the Holy Land, the Valley of the Euphrates, the Islands of Cyprus and Candia, the whole of South America, the Islands of the Pacific not heretofore possessed by Great Britain, the whole of the Malay Archipelago, the seaboard of China and Japan, the ultimate recovery of the United States of America as an integral part of the British Empire, the inauguration of a system of Colonial representation in the Imperial Parliament which may tend to weld together the disjointed members of the Empire and, finally, the foundation of so great a Power as to render wars impossible and promote the best interests of humanity.

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As a result of his will, the Rhodes Scholarships, which enable foreign nationals to study at the University of Oxford, came into being. Rhodes died in 1902, and was considered at the time one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Related Topics:
Rhodes Scholarship - 1902

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Rhodes' will also left a large area of land on the slopes of Devil's Peak (the "Rhodes Estate" or "Rhodes' Gift") as a campus for the University of Cape Town. Rhodes' house in Cape Town, Groote Schuur, is now the official residence of the President of South Africa.

Related Topics:
Devil's Peak - University of Cape Town - Groote Schuur - South Africa

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In 2004 he was voted 56th in the Top 100 Great South Africans.

Related Topics:
2004 - Top 100 Great South Africans

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