George McCall Theal

George McCall Theal (1837–1919) was a Canadian-born historian, archivist, and civil servant who became South Africa's most prolific and influential historian of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially a teacher and reporter, he moved to Cape Colony, entered public service in 1877, served as Keeper of the Archives, and was appointed Colonial Historiographer in 1891. He authored extensive works on South African history, including multi-volume histories of Africa south of the Zambesi, and school texts in English and Afrikaans.[1][2][5]