F. W. de Klerk

F. W. de Klerk was a South African lawyer and National Party politician who served as State President from 1989 to 1994. During his presidency, he lifted bans on liberation movements, released Nelson Mandela, and led negotiations that helped establish a democratic, non-racial constitutional order. De Klerk and Mandela shared the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize for their roles in the negotiated end of apartheid; he later served as deputy president under Mandela until 1996.