Cecil John Rhodes Biography

Cecil Rhodes, the founder of the diamond company De Beers was a prominent South African businessman cum politician of British origin. A strong supporter of British colonialism, he once dreamt of building his own secret society that would bring the entire world under British rule. Born into a large family, he was sent off to South Africa to work when he was just 16. During that time ‘diamond fever’ was sweeping the region, and Rhodes decided to bank on this new trend. He worked hard at diamond mines for years before setting up the De Beers Mining Company and later partnering with Barnie Barnato to form De Beers Consolidated Mines. He also entered politics on his election to the Cape Parliament and went on to become the Prime minister of the Cape Colony. He believed that the Anglo-Saxon race was the greatest and wanted to bring the whole of the world under British rule. So passionate he was in this belief that he even used his personal wealth in his attempt to expand the empire. As a politician he made several policies that influenced the development of British Imperialism in Africa. He was also a philanthropist who left a major part of his vast fortunes for the establishment of the Rhodes scholarship at the Oxford University.