Johannes (Jan) Voet (3 October 1647 to 9 September 1713) was the renowned Dutch Romanist and author of the Commentarius ad Pandectas (that most revered and oft quoted source of Roman Dutch law).
Voet is frequently cited (to present day) by South African courts and constitutes an authority to which the Courts turn to determine the common law. Since the Constitution recognizes the common law as a source of law we can expect this to continue. This page is just a collection of arbitrary and interesting facts about Voet and his life.
Some relatively useless facts about Voet
• Jan Voet was born on 3 October 1647.
• Voet was a deacon in the Dutch Reformed Church and later worked for the Church as an accountant.
• Voet graduated at age 20. He studied in Utrecht and taught there from 1674.
• His father was Paulus Voet. He attained the magister artium at the age of 21 and became an extraordinary Professor in Metaphysics at the age of 22. He studied law in his free time and attained the doctorate of law by the age of 26. He became a Professor of Roman Law at the age of 35.
• Jan Voet’s mother’s name is Elizabeth.
• His grandfather was Gysbert Voet who was a professor primarius of Theology at the University of Utrecht.
• Voet's grandfather, Gysbert, was the rector of the University of Utrecht when Voet was teaching there.
• His great-great- grandfather, Nicolaas Dirkz. Voet was the major of Oudheusden and later died in prison as a protestant martyr.
• His great grandfather, Paulus Voet was a soldier in the Prince’s army which fought against Spanish rule.
• Voet was later recruited by the University of Leiden where he taught until his death in 1713.
For more material you can consult De Wet 'Jan Voet' (1948) 11THRHR 50.
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