Graumann, Sir Harry

views updated

GRAUMANN, SIR HARRY

GRAUMANN, SIR HARRY (1868–1938), South African mining magnate, industrialist, and financier. Born in England, Graumann went to South Africa at the age of 16 and engaged in mining in the Transvaal. He became a member of the Johannesburg Sanitary Board (forerunner of the town council) and was one of the city's four aldermen under the Kruger regime. During the Boer War (1899–1902), Graumann worked for Transvaal refugees in Capetown. After the war, he became the first Jewish mayor of Johannesburg. In 1912 he protested against the proposed restriction of Jewish immigration. He was elected to parliament in 1915. His memoirs, Rand Riches and South Africa, appeared in 1935.