Stephanus Johannes Paulus "
Paul"
Kruger (; ; 10 October 1825 – 14 July 1904) was one of the dominant political and military figures in 19th-century South Africa, and
President of the
South African Republic (or Transvaal) from 1883 to 1900. Nicknamed
Oom Paul ("Uncle Paul"), he came to international prominence as the face of the
Boer cause—that of the Transvaal and its neighbour the
Orange Free State—against Britain during the
Second Boer War of 1899–1902. He has been called a personification of
Afrikanerdom, and remains a controversial and divisive figure; admirers venerate him as a tragic folk hero, while critics view him as the obstinate guardian of an unjust cause.