Percy Fitzpatrick

Percy Fitzpatrick (1862–1931) was a South African writer, politician and mining financier, born in King William's Town. In his early years he worked as a journalist and editor in the goldfields of the eastern Transvaal, an experience that provided material for his writing. In 1907 he published Jock of the Bushveld, a classic set in the South African wilderness whose vivid animal story and natural description won him a wide readership. He also wrote The Transvaal from Within: A Private Record of Public Affairs, a book that influenced British public opinion, as well as The Outspan: Tales of South Africa. He was knighted in 1902, took part in framing the constitution of the Union of South Africa, and died in 1931.