Financier, Entrepreneur, Imperialist. Born in Bishop's Stortford, England, the fifth son of Anglican clergyman, Francis William Rhodes and his second wife, Louisa Peacock. He fell ill after leaving school and, was sent to his brother in South Africa as a preferred climate for his health. His brother's cotton farm was a failure, however, and the pair moved to Kimberly in 1871 to work the diamond fields. In 1873 he left his diamond interests in the care of his partner, and sailed for England to attend Oxford. In South Africa, his diamond interests had survived the boom and bust cycle common in the region and in April 1880, he and his partner launched the De Beers Mining Company. That same year, he was also elected to the Cape Parliament. In 1887 he moved to acquire the Kimberly Central Diamond Mining Company. In 1888, the two companies agreed to merge forming De Beers Consolidated Mine. He next intended to open up the northern territories of Matabeleland and Mashonaland, in order to exploit mineral wealth, and encourage European settlement. That same year he formed the British South Africa Company (BSAC) and convinced tribal leaders in the desired area to sign a concession giving exclusive mining rights to the BSAC in exchange for protection against the Boer and neighboring tribes. The British government granted a charter to a new company to develop the new territory in October 1889 with no northern limit on it. With the permission to engage in 'defensive action' from the British Government, Rhodes used mercenaries hired and equipped by the BSAC to take and hold territory, local warriors were crushed by the better armed Europeans. The indigenous population burnt down their own capital and fled with a few warriors. In 1890, BSAC settlers founded Salisbury and other towns, igniting conflict with the Ndebele, who were crushed in the war of 1893, the conquered areas were renamed Southern and Northern Rhodesia (present day Zimbabwe and Zambia) in his honor. In July that year, he became the Prime Minister of the Cape colony. In 1895, he supported an attack on the Transvaal which was a complete failure, and he was forced to resign as Prime Minister and as head of the British South Africa Company by January 1896. After the Boer War broke out in October 1899, he organized the defense of Kimberly, the efforts greatly taxed his health. He died two years later at Muizenberg, South Africa, leaving some £6 million to Oxford University in order to establish the Rhodes Scholarships.