Background
Steyn was born in 1903 on a farm in the Orange River Colony, shortly after it had fallen under British dominion during the Boer War.
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Lucas Steyn
Edit ProfileEducation
He graduated with a law degree from the University of Stellenbosch in 1926, was admitted as an advocate (the South African equivalent of a barrister) in 1928, and obtained a doctorate in law in 1929.
Career
There followed an illustrious career as a civil servant under four successive Prime Ministers. He was Attorney-General of South West Africa, which was then under South African administration, from 1931 to 1933, and worked in the Department of Justice from 1933 to 1944. He was appointed a King"s Counsel in 1943.
He assisted the South African delegation to the United Nations from 1946 to 1949, and was a legal adviser in the 1950 International Court of Justice hearing into South Africa"s refusal to give up South West Africa.
Steyn was appointed a judge of the High Court (Transvaal Provincial Division) in 1951. Shortly thereafter, in 1955, he was promoted to the Appellate Division.
And soon after that he was appointed Chief Justice, ahead of the great liberal judge of many years" appellate experience, Oliver Schreiner. This unprecedentedly rapid ascent reflected Steyn"s favour with Doctorate F Malan"s Afrikaner nationalist administration.
As Chief Justice, Steyn acted ex officio as Officer Administering the Government, id est (that is) acting Governor-General, for the period between the death of Doctor Jansen in 1959 and the installation of C.R. Swart in 1960, and again between Swart"s resignation as the last Governor-General in 1961 and his inauguration as the first State President a few weeks later.
lieutenant was he who administered the oaths of office to Swart on both occasions. Steyn"s reign as Chief Justice lasted twelve years. True to his appointment by an Afrikaner nationalist government, Steyn"s jurisprudence was executive-minded and critical of English influences on South African law.
He retired from the Bench in 1971.
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Born
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Died
July 28, 1976 (aged 72) -
Nationality
South Africa