Daniel François Malan

Daniel François Malan (1874-1959), prime minister of South Africa (1948-1954), and architect of the country's former racial policies. Born in Riebeek West ( in what is now Western Cape province), of Afrikaner parents, Malan became a minister in the Reformed Churches. After serving as editor of an Afrikaans nationalist newspaper, he turned to politics. Elected to parliament in 1918, he rose to cabinet rank in 1924 and in 1940 assumed leadership of the National Party. Campaigning on a program of white supremacy, Malan won power in 1948 and immediately began to enact the doctrines of apartheid, or racial separation. These laws remained the basis of South African policy until their repeal in 1991 and 1992. After Malan resigned in 1954, his program was carried forward by another National Party member, Johannes G. Strijdom.