groenendaal was born in heerewaarden, netherlands, and was one of the many dutch immigrants who settled in south africa around the middle of the nineteenth century. he was a schoolteacher by training, but quickly became an influential politician, first in the negotiations about the formation of the orange free state, and afterwards as a parliamentarian and office holder. his political career was hampered by bad health and differences of opinion with state president boshoff, and eventually cut short by his early death.