Cecil John Rhodes (1853 - March
26, 1902) was a British entrepreneur, now remembered as an exploiter of
southern Africa's natural resources and the effective founder of the state
of Zimbabwe (originally named "Rhodesia" after himself).
Rhodes was born in Bishop's Stortford, the son of a vicar, and travelled
to South Africa as a young man for the benefit of his health. He soon began
making a profit off mining the Kimberley diamond mines, and he formed his
own company, De Beers Consolidated Mines in 1888.
Rhodes was gay, notable in an era that did not encourage homosexuality.
He employed a number of strong young male companions, ostensibly as bodyguards
and secretaries.
On his return to England, he studied at Oriel College, Oxford, but was
obliged to return to a better climate and went into politics, becoming
a member of the Cape House of Assembly. By 1890 he was Prime Minister of
the Cape Colony. He also became managing director of the South Africa Company
which administered a territory roughly equivalent to present-day Zimbabwe.
He resigned as Prime Minister in 1896, following the outcry over the "raids"
into Transvaal by his friend Dr. Leander Starr Jameson.
Although he remained a leading figure in the politics of southern Africa,
especially during the Boer War, he was dogged by ill-health throughout
his relatively short life. As a result of his will, the Rhodes Scholarships,
which enable foreign nationals to study at Oxford, came into being.
