Editing C. R. Swart (section)

==Public life==

In 1923, he was elected to the [[House of Assembly of South Africa|House of Assembly]] as the Member of Parliament for [[Ladybrand]].<ref name="CBY" /> until he was defeated in 1938. Swart was a member of the [[Ossewabrandwag]]. He became leader of the [[National Party (South Africa)|National Party]] in the [[Orange Free State]] and MP for [[Winburg]] in 1941.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=PqwwAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Charles+Robberts+Swart%22+%22Ladybrand%22+%221923%22 ''The South African Opposition, 1935-1945: An Essay in Contemporary History''], Michael Roberts, A. E. G. Trollip
Longmans, Green, 1947, page 214</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=e3F0AAAAMAAJ&q=%22Charles+Robberts+Swart%22+%22republican%22 ''The Tragedy of Apartheid: A Journalist's Experiences in the South African Riots''], Norman Charles Phillips, D. McKay Company, 1960, page 155</ref> After the end of the Second World War, he was appointed Minister of Justice when the [[National Party (South Africa)|National Party]] came to power in 1948, and was responsible for legislation to strengthen the powers of the [[South African Police]] to suppress anti-apartheid activity.<ref name="Thompson" /> Between 1949 and 1950 he held the portfolio for Education, Arts and Science and served as Deputy Prime Minister between 1954 and 1959.<ref>[https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&tbm=bks&ei=TWGqXpXlAYmg1fAPsr2C2AQ&q=%22He+has+also+been+Minister+of+Education%2C+Arts+and+Science+%28I949-50%29%22&oq=%22He+has+also+been+Minister+of+Education%2C+Arts+and+Science+%28I949-50%29%22&gs_l=psy-ab.3...56547.56547.0.58224.1.1.0.0.0.0.112.112.0j1.1.0....0...1c.2.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.DLrFSr74PIY ''Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa''], Cape Town, Volume 9, page 90</ref>

In 1959, Swart was appointed Governor-General, but like his predecessor [[Ernest George Jansen]], he was a staunch republican.<ref name="Thompson">[https://books.google.com/books?id=gk8FAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Charles+Robberts+Swart%22+%22republican%22 ''Politics in the Republic of South Africa''], Leonard Monteath Thompson, Little, Brown, 196, page 60</ref> Despite this, he had earlier kneeled before Queen [[Elizabeth II]] and kissed her hand.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/newleadersofafri0000unse <!-- quote="Swart kneeled before Queen Elizabeth in December 1959 and kissed her hand as the newly-appointed governor-general"". --> ''The New Leaders of Africa''], Rolf Italiaander, Prentice-Hall, 1961, page 119</ref> In a [[1960 South African republic referendum|referendum]] the following year, a small majority of White voters endorsed a government proposal to become a republic. In 1961, after signing the new republican constitution passed by Parliament into law, he asked the Queen to release him from office, and Parliament then elected him as State President, the new post which replaced the monarch and the Governor-General as ceremonial head of state.<ref name="Peterson 1975 p.84 ">{{cite book | last=Peterson | first=R.W. | title=South Africa & Apartheid | publisher=Facts on File | series=A Facts on File publication | year=1975 | isbn=978-0-87196-186-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wM5yAAAAMAAJ | access-date=2021-08-30 | page=84}}</ref> [[Nelson Mandela]] and other underground Black resistance leaders tried to protest against the change to the new system by planning a three-day [[general strike]] of non-White workers, but the government preemptively averted most of these plans through an extensive use of police force to persecute the dissenters.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120914063045/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,938112,00.html "A War Won"], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 9 June 1961</ref>

Although elected for a seven-year term in office, Swart served as state president for only six years, and retired in 1967. After his retirement, Swart was awarded the [[Decoration for Meritorious Services]] by State President [[Jim Fouché]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/charles-robberts-blackie-swart|title=Charles Robberts (Blackie) Swart|date=23 August 2019|work=South African History Online|access-date=5 February 2021}}</ref> He died on 16 July 1982, aged 87. Swart was popularly known as "Blackie" (''Swart'' is [[Afrikaans]] for "black")<ref name="Newsweek">[https://books.google.com/books?id=slN4CUzVuZAC&q=%22Charles+Robberts+Swart%22+%22Blackie%22 "Blackie and the Blacks"], ''[[Newsweek]]'', 1961, Volume 57, Part 2, page 46</ref> or as "Oom Blackie", ''oom'' being Afrikaans for "uncle", but used as a sign of respect towards an older male.<ref name="Meredith 2002 p.36 ">{{cite book | last=Meredith | first=M. | title=Fischer's Choice: A Life of Bram Fischer | publisher=Jonathan Ball | year=2002 | isbn=978-1-86842-131-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jYcFAQAAIAAJ | language=nl | access-date=2021-08-30 | page=36}}</ref>