Lucas Cornelius Steyn, PC, QC (21 December 1903 – 28 July 1976) was Chief Justice of South Africa and, as such, acted as Governor-General on two occasions.
Early life
Steyn was born in 1903 on a farm in the Orange River Colony, shortly after it had fallen under British rule during the Boer War. His parents were Christiaan Louwrens Steyn and Magdalena Josina Maria Kruger. He attended Kroonstad Secondary School and 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.
Legal career
There followed an illustrious career as a civil servant under four successive Prime Ministers.