| Marthinus Wessel Pretorius | |
| Office3: | President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic |
| Term Start3: | 6 January 1857 |
| Term End3: | 15 September 1860 |
| Predecessor3: | Office established |
| Successor3: | Johannes Hermanus Grobler |
| Term Start4: | 10 May 1864 |
| Term End4: | 22 October 1866 |
| Predecessor4: | Willem Cornelis Janse van Rensburg As Acting President |
| Successor4: | Daniël Jacobus Erasmus As Acting President |
| Office2: | President of the South African Republic |
| Term Start2: | 22 October 1866 |
| Term End2: | 20 November 1871 |
| Predecessor2: | Willem Cornelis Janse van Renseburg |
| Successor2: | Daniel Jacobus Erasmus |
| Office5: | State President of the Orange Free State |
| Term Start5: | 8 February 1860 |
| Term End5: | 20 June 1863 |
| Predecessor5: | Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff |
| Successor5: | Johannes Brand |
| Order1: | Member of the Triumvirate |
| Term Start1: | 8 August 1881 |
| Term End1: | 9 May 1883 |
| Alongside1: | Paul Kruger and Piet Joubert |
| Predecessor1: | The Viscount Wolseley As Governor of the Transvaal |
| Successor1: | Paul Kruger As President of the South African Republic |
| Birth Date: | 1819 9, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Graaff Reinet, Cape Colony |
| Death Place: | Potchefstroom, South African Republic |
| Restingplace: | Potchefstroom, North West, South Africa |
| Birthname: | Marthinus Wessel Pretorius |
| Father: | Andries Pretorius |
| Signature: | Signature of M.W. Pretorius.png |
| Allegiance: | Voortrekkers |
| Rank: | Commandant General |
| Commands: | Transvaal Commandos |
Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (17 September 1819 – 19 May 1901) was a South African political leader.[1] An Afrikaner (or "Boer"), he helped establish the South African Republic (Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek or ZAR; also referred to as Transvaal), was the first president of the ZAR, and also compiled its constitution.[2]
He was born in Cape Colony, then accompanied his father, the Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius in the migration to the interior.After the death of his father in 1853, he was appointed to succeed him as Commandant-General of the Boer settlers around the city of Potchefstroom and moved from his farm, Kalkheuwel, near Broederstroom, to Potchefstroom. He was Commandant-General of Potchefstroom from 1853 through 1856.
In 1857, the nascent ZAR elected Pretorius as its first President. However, in 1859, in an effort to create closer bonds with the Orange Free State, he also became State President of the Orange Free State. This created tension in the ZAR, and in 1860, he resigned as President of the ZAR. After serving as President of the Orange Free State until 1863, Pretorius was re-elected President of the ZAR in 1864, and served a second term until 1871.[2] Pretorius also served as joint head of state (in the "triumvirate") between 1880 and 1883.[2]
He died on 19 May 1901 at Potchefstroom.[2]
Pretorius was an important South African Freemason.[3]
In an endeavour to establish a new town, he bought two farms named Elandspoort and Daspoort between 1854 and 1855, on which he founded the city of Pretoria in 1855.
Ds. van der Hoff originally named the first church congregation in this area Pretoria Philadelphia (Pretorius Friendship), in honour of Pretorius' father. Later, the town took on the shortened name of Pretoria.
Five years later the capital of the ZAR was moved from Potchefstroom to Pretoria.