Thomas Chalmers Robertson

Thomas Chalmers Robertson
Born	(1907-09-15)September 15, 1907 Middelburg, South Africa
Died	January 11, 1989(1989-01-11) (aged 81) Durban, South Africa
Nationality	South African
Occupation	Writer

Dr. Thomas Chalmers Robertson (15 September 1907 – 11 January 1989) was a writer, ecologist and conservationist from South Africa.[1] He was also a war correspondent, and Jan Smuts’s anti-Nazi propagandist during World War II.[2] He was driven by three things: his mission to save the soil (and grasses of Southern Africa), his insatiable quest for knowledge (being regarded by some as a genius), and his equally insatiable hedonism.[3]

The T.C.Robertson Nature Reserve situated on the outskirts of the town of Scottburgh, KwaZulu-Natal is named after him,[1][3] and he played a role in the development of Ilanda Wilds (a nature reserve in Amanzimtoti to the north of Scottburgh).[4]

According to Dictionary.com, Robertson coined the term "white nationalism" in his 1948 essay titled Racism Comes to Power in South Africa: The Threat of White Nationalism.[5] However, Merriam-Webster has noted usage of the two-word phrase as early as 1925.[6]

References

1. http://www.birdingroutes.co.za/southern_kzn/scbr/sites/skznbrbs12.2_robertson_reserve.html, retrieved 23 December 2010,
2. Bell, S. The Happy Warrior: The Story of TC Robertson. ISBN 978-0-620-33255-2
3. "Happy Warrior, The: The Story of TC Robertson". www.justdone.co.za. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
4. Gill, C. Interest Shown in Ilanda Wilds: South Coast Sun: 26 November 2010.
5. "white nationalism". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
6. "Trending: Nationalists, Of The 'White' And 'Supremacist' Variety". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 15 May 2020.