Harry Frederick Oppenheimer

Harry Frederick Oppenheimer (28 October 1908 – 19 August 2000) was a famous South African businessman of Jewish descent. Oppenheimer was the chairman of Anglo American Corporation for a quarter of a century. He was also the chairman of De Beers Consolidated Mines for 27 years until he retired from those positions in 1982 and 1984. He was close friends with President of South Africa Nelson Mandela.

Harry Oppenheimer in Amsterdam, 1945

Oppenheimer was born in Kimberley, Northern Cape, South Africa.^[1] He studied at Charterhouse School and at Christ Church, Oxford University. Oppenheimer was raised in Johannesburg.

The Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award Africa's premier research prize, is awarded every year by the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, in memory of Harry Oppenheimer's commitment to an ideal of "unambiguous excellence."

Oppenheimer was married to Bridget Oppenheimer until his death in 2000. They had two children. Bridget died in October 2013.^[2]

Oppenheimer died in Johannesburg, South Africa from cancer, aged 92.