Claude Corea
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The Honourable Sir Claude Corea |
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|---|---|
| KBE, MP | |
| President of the United Nations Security Council | |
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In office May 1960 – June 1960 |
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| Preceded by | Mario Amadeo |
| Succeeded by | Tsiang Tingfu |
| Ceylonese Representative to the United Nations | |
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In office 1958–1961 |
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| Preceded by | Senerat Gunewardene |
| Succeeded by | Gunapala Piyasena Malalasekera |
| High Commissioner for Ceylon to the United Kingdom | |
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In office 1954–1957 |
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| Preceded by | Edwin Wijeyeratne |
| Succeeded by | Gunasena de Soyza |
| Ceylonese Ambassador to the United States | |
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In office 1948–1954 |
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| Preceded by | Office Created |
| Succeeded by | Senerat Gunewardene |
| Ceylonese Representative to the United Kingdom | |
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In office 1946–1949 |
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| Preceded by | Office Created |
| Succeeded by | Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke |
| Minister of Labour, Industry and Commerce | |
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In office 1936–1946 |
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| Minister of Home Affairs | |
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In office 1933–1936 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 January 1894 Chilaw, Ceylon |
| Died | 2 September 1962 Germany |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Karmini Corea |
| Children | Nihal, Harindra and Chandra |
| Parents | Alfred Winzer Corea, Sarah Elizabeth Herat |
| Alma mater | Wesley College, Colombo. |
| Occupation | Politics, diplomat |
| Religion | Christian |
Sir George Claude Stanley Corea, KBE (29 January 1894 – 2 September 1962) was a Sri Lankan politician and diplomat.
He was born on 29 January 1894 to a well known Ceylonese political family hailing from the Western seaboard town of Chilaw. His father was Alfred Winzer Corea who was an officer in government police and his mother was Sarah Elizabeth Herat. In the late 19th Century the Corea brothers, wealthy landed proprietors, set up the Chilaw Association, as a political action group.
Sir Claude married Lilie Karmini Chitty (born 1903), daughter of James Morel Chitty, Crown Counsellor, also from Chilaw and a son of Christian S. Chitty and his French Huguenot wife, Auguste Matilde "Mitzi" Morel. Lady Corea sported a diamond nose stud and is reported famously to have responded to a journalist's query as to why she wore a diamond on her nose thus: “I prefer diamonds to sapphires”. The journalist had been visiting the United Nations at the time.
The Clementine Paddleford papers in the Kansas State University Archives and Manuscripts have an intriguing entry: “Corea, Lady Karmini, wife to Sir Claude Corea, Ceylon's, United Nations Ambassador – ‘A Fashion Note at U.N.,’ n.d.” under “People, 1932–1967”. Lady Corea played an important role in Sir Claude's career as a diplomat. He was educated at Wesley College, Colombo.
Sir Claude enjoyed an illustrious political career in wartime Ceylon, entering politics and the State Council in 1931. He acted as Minister of Home Affairs in 1933, becoming Minister of Labour, Industry and Commerce in 1936, coincidentally with his marriage to Lilie Karmani Chitty. He continued as Minister of Labour, Industry and Commerce until 1946. He was elected to the presidency of the Ceylon National Congress in 1932, 1939 and 1941.
On the last occasion, during the Second World War, Sir Claude was adamant that the CNC should not lobbying for "mere constitutional reforms", but should seek transfer of sovereignty to the people of Ceylon. After the war Sir Claude served as chairman of the board of Ministers Sub Committee charged with resolving post-war problems. He was viewed as a potential first prime minister of Ceylon. However Don Stephen Senanayake was keener on this position than he; Sir Claude opted for a diplomatic career.
Sir Claude took up the post of Ceylonese Representative in the United Kingdom in 1946, two years prior to independence. It is as a diplomat par excellence that he is remembered. His contribution as a diplomat has given him legendary status among the cognoscenti. Sir Claude was soon commissioned by Don Stephen Senanayake, the first Prime Minister, to undertake diplomatic missions in the United States. He was appointed as the first Ceylonese Ambassador to the United States in 1948. Records in the Truman Library reveal that Sir Claude visited the President on 1 March 1949 and again on 21 July 1952, the dates roughly marking his period as Ambassador of Ceylon in the United States.
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Wikipedia