Nico Diederichs

Nicolaas Johannes Diederichs, (17 November 1903 – 21 August 1978) served as the third state president of South Africa from 1975 to 1978.

Education and career

After completing school, he attended Grey University College between 1921 and 1925 where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Dutch & Ethics) and Master of Arts (Philosophy). As an economist, he educated himself overseas at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, the University of Cologne, the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin, and Leiden University, obtaining a doctorate from Leiden University and a D.Litt degree.

Political career

Diederichs was a National Party member of Parliament from 1948 to 1975, representing Randfontein until 1958 and then Losberg. He served as Minister of Economic Affairs from 1958 to 1967, as Minister of Mines from 1961 to 1964, and as Minister of Finance from 1967 to 1975.