People/magnate, politician

Harry Oppenheimer

Harry Oppenheimer (1908–2000), magnate, politician, from South Africa. Linked to diamonds, gold, platinum.

The lucky break

Born at Kimberley, site of the Big Hole, six years after Cecil Rhodes died. After Charterhouse and Oxford he joined the boards of De Beers and Anglo American.1

The downfall

The Guardian's obituary says his interests in gold, platinum, diamonds and coal helped sustain the apartheid economy despite his image as a reformer.1

Legacy

Took control of the family businesses when his father died in 1957 and remained a De Beers director until 1994. The Guardian says he was the last of the Randlords and an early businessman to open talks with the ANC.1

Story cards

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Where next

People

FamilyErnest OppenheimerA son who took over Anglo American and De Beers when his father died.1

Mines

Worked atKimberley Big HoleBorn by the Big Hole, he ended as the last of the Randlords.1

Sources

  1. Harry Oppenheimer obituary The Guardian (David Pallister, 21 Aug 2000)

From the Prospector Trails mining history dataset: each fact links to the source it was checked against. Figures are as the source gives them, in the money of their day. Not investment advice.

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Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: Super Pit, Kalgoorlie by Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0; Underground mining equipment by Kaupo Kikkas, CC BY-SA 4.0. Pictures: Pangkalpinang. Mijn 3b. Een reeks koelies bezig met het transporteeren van grond, Europeana (Public Domain Mark 1.0); South Africa: a crowd of people gathered outside The Goldfields offices in Johannesburg. 1896., Unknown (Wellcome Collection) (Public Domain Mark 1.0).