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See also: South See also: African mine-owner, was See also: born at See also: Cradock, Cape Colony, in 1845
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At the age of sixteen he started business as a general trader, wool-buyer and stock-breeder, but on the See also: discovery of diamonds in South See also: Africa in 1867 he hastened to the See also: Vaal See also: river See also: district, where, by purchasing the stones from the natives and afterwards by buying See also: diamond-bearing See also: land, notably at Kimberley, he soon acquired a considerable See also: fortune
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He was mayor of Kimberley in 188o, and for four years was a representative of Griqualand West in the Cape parliament
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On the discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand district in 1886
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See also: Robinson See also: purchased the Langlaagte and Randfontein estates, His views as to the See also: westerly trend of the See also: main gold-bearing See also: reef were entirely contrary to the bulk of South African opinion at the See also: time, but events proved him to be correct, and the enormous appreciation in value of his various properties made him one of the richest men in South Africa
.
As a See also: Rand capitalist he stood aloof from combinations with other gold-See also: mining interests, and took no See also: part in the See also: Johannesburg reform See also: movement, maintaining friendly relations with President Kruger
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He claimed that it was as the result of his representations after the See also: Jameson See also: Raid that Kruger appointed the See also: Industrial Commission of 1897, whose recommendations—had they been carried out—would have remedied some of the Uitlander grievances
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In 1908 he was created a See also: baronet
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[back] BART SIR JOHN BEVERLEY ROBINSON |
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He was born on 3 August 1840 and died 30 October 1929.
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