John Lionel Kotalawela
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General The Right Honourable Sir John Lionel Kotelawala CH KBE KStJ MP |
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| Prime Minister of Ceylon | |
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In office 12 October 1953 – 12 April 1956 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Dudley Senanayake |
| Succeeded by | S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike |
| Member of the Ceylon Parliament for Dodangaslanda |
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In office 14 October 1947 – 05 December 1959 |
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| Succeeded by | A.U. Romanis |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
4 April 1895 Ceylon |
| Died | 2 October 1980 (aged 85) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Political party | United National |
| Alma mater |
Christ's College, Cambridge, Royal College, Colombo |
| Profession | Politician, Soldier, Planter |
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Ceylon |
| Service/branch |
Ceylon Defence Force, Sri Lanka Army |
| Years of service | 23 Years |
| Rank |
General (Sri Lanka Army), Colonel (Ceylon Defence Force) |
| Unit | Ceylon Light Infantry |
General Sir John Lionel Kotelawala CH KBE KStJ PC (Sinhalese: ශ්රිමත් ජෝන් ලයනල් කොතලාවල; 4 April 1895 – 2 October 1980) was a Sri Lankan soldier and politician, most notable for serving as the 3rd Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from 1953 to 1956.
Sir John Kotelawala was born into a wealthy family, his father John Kotelawala Snr was an Inspector in the Ceylon Police Force and his mother was Alice Kotelawala nee Attygalle. Following accusations of murder John Kotelawala Snr committed suicide when his son was 11. Following this their family was ruined, Alice Kotelawala who was originally a Buddhist converted to Christianity after this. Through careful management of their land holdings and plumbago mines she made her family prosperous. For her social work she was awarded a CBE. He had a younger brother Justin Kotalawela and a sister Freda, who married C.V.S. Corea.
Young Kotelawala attended Royal College, Colombo, but had to leave after he became involved in pro-independence activities during the riots in 1915. Thereafter he embarked on a trip to Europe after leaving school, which was very dangerous because World War I was being fought there. He remained in Europe for five years, spending most of that time in England and France and attended Christ's College, Cambridge University to study agriculture.
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