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Revision as of 16:50, 20 January 2006 by 199.196.144.12 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Sir James Percy FitzPatrick (24 July 1862 - 24 January 1931) was a South African author, politician and pioneer of the fruit industry. He is best known for his book Jock of the Bushveld, considered a South African classic, as well as other children's books.
Early life
FitzPatrick was born in King William's Town, the eldest son of James Coleman FitzPatrick, who was a judge of the Supreme Court of the Cape Colony, and Jenny FitzGerald. Both were originally from Ireland. Two of James FitzPatrick's other sons were killed in action - Tom FitzPatrick in the Matabele Rebellion and George FitzPatrick (serving with the Imperial Light Horse) in the Second Anglo-Boer War.
He was first educated at Downside Abbey and St. Gregory's College, near Bath in England and later at St. Aidan's College in Grahamstown, South Africa.
Working life
When the elder FitzPatrick died in 1880, Percy FitzPatrick left college in order to support his mother and the rest of her family. He travelled to the Eastern Transvaal goldfields in 1884, where he worked as a storeman, prospector's assistant and journalist as well as an ox-wagon transport-rider from (the then) Lourenco Marques to Lydenburg and Barberton. He later became editor of the Gold Fields News in Barberton. An account of Fitzpatrick's adventures during this time - Jock of the Bushveld - was published in 1907. He was also the author of The Transvall from Within
Fitzpatrick was also one of the leaders of the Reform Committee in Johannesburg, which conspired to overthrow Paul Kruger's South African Republic government from 1895 to 1896. In consequence he was imprisoned, but was subsequently released. He served in the Anglo-Boer War from 1899-1902, and was knighted in 1902.
He went on to serve as a member of the parliament of the Union of South Africa.
FitzPatrick died in Amanzi (Uitenhage) in 1931.
Interesting facts
- The Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology was founded at the University of Cape Town in 1959 to study the living birds of Africa by Mrs Cecily K Niven, daughter and only surviving child of Sir Percy FitzPatrick.
- The Percy FitzPatrick Award is an award for the best South African children's book in English and was initiated in 1970.