Egidius Benedictus Watermeyer

Egidius Benedictus Watermeyer (21 August 1824 - 21 September 1867), informally known simply as "Ben", was a Judge and a founding Member of the Cape Legislative Assembly.

[1] Ben Watermeyer was born into a Cape family of German ancestry (his grandfather was originally from Hamburg).

He established and chaired the Board of Examiners that went on to provide the basis for the University of the Cape of Good Hope that was founded in 1874.

[2] The Dictionary of National Biography devotes a paragraph to laud his modest kindness, empathy, reasoning powers and his vast reserve of patience.

These qualities, together with his gentle sense of humour, made him one of the most loved of the Cape's public figures at the time.