Ernest de Silva
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Sir Ernest de Silva KBE |
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|---|---|
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| Born |
November 26, 1887 Colombo, British Ceylon |
| Died | May 9, 1957 (aged 69) Colombo, Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) |
| Nationality | Ceylonese |
| Other names | Sir A.E. de Silva |
| Education |
Clare College, Cambridge, Royal College, Colombo |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Evadne de Silva |
Sir Ernest de Silva KBE (26 November 1887 – 9 May 1957) was a Ceylonese business magnate, banker, barrister and public figure, considered to be the most prominent Ceylonese philanthropist of the 20th century. A wealthy and influential polymath, he was the founder-chairman of the largest bank in Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), the Bank of Ceylon, the founder-governor of the State Mortgage Bank and chairman of the Ceylon All-Party committee. He made many contributions to Ceylonese society and is also considered to be the preeminent philatelist in the history of Ceylon. Upon Ceylon's independence, he was asked to become the first Ceylonese Governor General (representative of the King in Ceylon, i.e. de facto head of state), an honour he declined for personal reasons. De Silva was at the pinnacle of upper-class society and, as the wealthiest Ceylonese of his generation, he defined the island's ruling class. His memorials describe him as highly respected for his integrity and honesty.
Sir Ernest de Silva was born to one of the most affluent families in Ceylon. His parents and grandparents were extremely wealthy and owned much land all over the country. His great-grandfather, Emans de Silva Gunasekera and his grandfather, S. D. S. Gunasekera bequeathed the properties to his father, A. E. de Silva, who later became the wealthiest businessman in Ceylon, and named his son A. E. de Silva Jr. The young heir received his education first at Royal College, Colombo, graduated subsequently from Clare College, Cambridge and was called to the bar at the Inner Temple. He was a close friend of Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who was a classmate of his at Cambridge. The two former schoolmates met again in 1930 when Nehru arrived for a visit.
Sir Ernest de Silva's wife, Evadne who, following his knighthood, became known as Lady Evadne de Silva, was herself a prominent philanthropist and, upon independence, became one of the first women in the Senate of Ceylon. One of his daughters, Sita, married Business Magnate U. N. Gunasekera, considered to be Ceylon's most notable and influential civil engineer of the 20th century, having built many of the nation's largest buildings, including its first five star hotels, and a silent philanthropist himself. And another daughter, Swarnapali, married O. R. Medonza who was an Emeritus Consultation Physician at General Hospital (Colombo).
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