
DeathNovember 112021
F. W. de Klerk
F. W. de Klerk, South African lawyer and politician, former State President of South Africa, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1936)
5th anniversary in 2026
In context
- When
- Thursday, November 11 20215 years ago
- Category
- DeathA notable person who died on this day.
- Era
- 21st century · 2020s
- Anniversary
- 5th in 2026
- Recorded from
- Wikipedia “On this day” feed
- Person
- F. W. de Klerk
At a glance
Born 1936-03-18; died 2021-11-11.
Known as: politician, lawyer, and minister. Citizenship: South Africa.
Listed as: human.
Who they were
Frederik Willem de Klerk was a South African politician who served as the final state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as deputy president from 1994 to 1996. As South Africa's last head of state from the era of white-minority rule, he and his government dismantled the apartheid system and introduced universal suffrage. Ideologically a social conservative and an economic liberal, he led the National Party (NP) from 1989 to 1997.
Early life
Educated at: Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, North-West University, and Goodenough College.
Early life and education Childhood: 1936–1954 F. W. de Klerk was born on 18 March 1936, into a rich political family in Mayfair , a suburb of Johannesburg . [ 1 ] His parents were Johannes "Jan" de Klerk and Hendrina Cornelia Coetzer—"her forefather was a Kutzer who stems from Austria." [ 2 ] He was his parents' second son, having a brother, Willem de Klerk, who was eight years his senior. [ 1 ]
Path and career
Awards / honours: Nobel Peace Prize, Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize, Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation, and Philadelphia Liberty Medal.
Why this date
F. W. de Klerk appears on our November 11 calendar for 2021 as a death entry.
November 11 through the years
Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.
- 2002Fokker F27 Friendship
- 2004Tomb of the Unknown Warrior (New Zealand)
- 2004Palestine Liberation Organization
- 2006Elizabeth II
- 2008Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
- 20112011 in Mexico
- 20122012 Shwebo earthquake
- 2020Typhoon Vamco
- 2021F. W. de Klerk
- 2022Russo-Ukrainian war
- 20242024 Zhuhai car attack
Also in 2021
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- September 16Inspiration4Inspiration4, the first private orbital crewed spaceflight, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center.
- September 5Alpha CondéThe President of Guinea, Alpha Condé is captured by armed forces during a coup d'état.
- August 142021 Haiti earthquakeA magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in Haiti, killing at least 2,248 people and causing $1.5 billion in damages and economic loss.
- November 5Astroworld Festival crowd crushThe Astroworld Festival crowd crush results in 10 deaths and 25 people being hospitalized
Sources
- Wikipedia article (text, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 for adapted text · how we source this
Cite this page
“F. W. de Klerk”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/f-w-de-klerk-2021-november-11, accessed October 28, 2026.
Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.
Questions about this entry
When did F. W. de Klerk happen?
November 11 2021 — 5 years ago, on a Thursday.
Where does this text come from?
Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.
How do I cite this page?
Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.
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