James Peter Obeyesekere III
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The Honourable Deshamanya James Peter Obeyesekere III |
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| Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and Finance | |
| Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for Attanagalla |
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In office 19 March 1960 – 22 March 1965 |
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| Senator of Ceylon | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 July 1915 |
| Died | 23 October 2007 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | Sri Lanka Freedom Party |
| Spouse(s) | Siva Obeyesekere (nee Dassanaike) |
| Alma mater | Royal College, Colombo |
| Occupation | Politics |
| Profession | Aviator |
| Religion | Buddhist |
Deshamanya James Peter Obeyesekere III (14 July 1915 – 23 October 2007) was a Sri Lankan politician and aviator. A Senator, he was also a Junior Minister of Health and Finance.
Born to Sir James Peter Obeyesekere II, a barrister who was an advocate of the colonial era Supreme Court of Ceylon and served as the last Maha Mudaliyar (the chief native interpreter and adviser to the British Governor of Ceylon). His grandfather was Sir James Peter Obeyesekere I.
Educated at the Royal College, Colombo, Obeyesekere went on to study at Trinity College, Cambridge gaining a MA. There he was a member of the Cambridge Union Society and of the Debating Team of Trinity College. An accomplished sportsman, he was awarded a half blue in athletics at Cambridge, later becoming a certified athletics coach and excellent horseman and equestrian.
With the outbreak of World War II he joined the Cambridge University Air Squadron becoming a qualified pilot, he was invited to join the Royal Air Force as a pilot, however he turn down the offer and instead joined the Royal Observer Corps. In November 1946, he flew his single-engined Taylorcraft Auster home to Ceylon from England, becoming the first Ceylonese to make such a flight. Throughout the epic journey, Obeyesekere was closely shadowed by Sqdn. Ldr. R.A.F. (Robert) Farquharson in an identical Auster - as described in contemporary newspaper reports and early articles by Obeyesekere himself - belying claims that Obeyesekere was a "solo flyer".
A founding member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in 1951, Obeyesekere contested the Mirigama seat in 1952 and in 1960 contested the Attanagalla seat and won and became a member of parliament. He served as Junior Minister of Health and Finance and acted as the Health Minister on several occasions from 1960 to 1965. Obeyesekere was also a Senator.
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