Jump to content

Lourens Muller

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lourens Muller
Minister of Transport
In office
29 April 1974 – February 1979
Prime MinisterJohn Vorster
P. W. Botha
Preceded byBen Schoeman
Succeeded byChris Heunis
Minister of Economic Affairs
In office
22 April 1970 – 29 April 1974
Prime MinisterJohn Vorster
Preceded byJan Haak
Succeeded byOwen Horwood
Minister of Home Affairs
In office
9 August 1968 – 22 April 1970
Prime MinisterJohn Vorster
Preceded byP. K. Le Roux
Succeeded byMarais Viljoen
Minister of Police
In office
9 August 1968 – 29 April 1974
Prime MinisterJohn Vorster
Preceded byJohn Vorster
Succeeded byJimmy Kruger
as Minister of Justice, Police and Prisons
Personal details
Born
Stefanus Lourens Muller

(1917-09-27)27 September 1917
Beaufort West, Cape Province, South Africa
Died30 April 2005(2005-04-30) (aged 87)
Somerset West, Western Cape South Africa
Resting placeRobertson
Political partyNational Party (1961–1980)
Other political
affiliations
Conservative Party (from 1982)
Spouse
(divorced)
OccupationPolitician, lawyer, railwayman

Stefanus Lourens Muller (1917–2005) was a South African politician and cabinet minister.

Biography

[edit]

Lourens Muller was born in Beaufort West in the Cape Province in 1917. Muller worked for South African Railways before studying law and practicing as a lawyer in Robertson. He was married to the soprano singer Hanlie van Niekerk, but divorced soon afterwards. In 1961, he was elected to parliament as the National Party candidate in the constituency of Ceres. Muller initially worked under the Justice ministry, then held several ministerial posts under prime minister John Vorster with whom he had developed a close political alliance. Under the Voster and Botha governments, Muller held the ministries of Police, Economic Affairs, Home Affairs and Transport.

After Vorster's resignation as State President in the aftermath of the information scandal, Muller was widely considered the favourite to succeed him.[1] The position instead went to Marais Viljoen.

Muller was dismissed from the government by prime minister P. W. Botha, after a growing series of disagreements. After his dismissal, Muller left the National Party in 1980 and later became a founding member of Andries Treurnicht's Conservative Party. In 1981, Muller would retire from parliament at that year's general election. He died after a period of illness in 2005. He had been treated at a clinic in Somerset West before his death.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "'Vorster, Accused of Role in Scanal, Quits as President". The New York Times. 5 June 1979. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Transport
1974–1979
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Economic Affairs
1970–1974
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Home Affairs
1968–1970
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Police
1968–1974
Succeeded by