William Gopallawa
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His Excellency William Gopallawa විලියම් ගොපල්ලව விலியம் கோபள்ளவா MBE |
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| 1st President of Sri Lanka | |
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In office 22 May 1972 – 4 February 1978 |
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| Prime Minister |
Junius Richard Jayewardene Sirimavo Bandaranaike |
| Preceded by | Inaugural holder |
| Succeeded by | Junius Richard Jayewardene |
| Governor-General of Ceylon | |
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In office 2 March 1962 – 22 May 1972 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Secretary General of Non-Aligned Movement | |
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In office 16 August 1976 – 4 February 1978 |
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| Preceded by | Houari Boumédienne |
| Succeeded by | Junius Richard Jayawardene |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
17 September 1896 Matale, British Ceylon (now in Sri Lanka) |
| Died | 31 January 1981 (aged 84) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Spouse(s) | Seelawathie Gopallawa (née Rambukwella) |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater |
St. Anthony’s College Dharmaraja College |
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism |
William Gopallawa, MBE (Sinhala: විලියම් ගොපල්ලව, Tamil: வில்லியம் கோபள்ளவா) (17 September 1896 – 31 January 1981) was the last Governor-General of Ceylon from 1962 to 1972 and became the first (non-executive) President of Sri Lanka when Ceylon declared itself a republic in 1972 and changed its name to Sri Lanka. Until 1972, Ceylon was a Commonwealth realm with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state and Queen of Ceylon. He was well known as an austere, nonpartisan and statesmanlike figure who commanded the respect of all political parties.
He represented an era where politics was conducted with a dignified aura and he had a reputation as being a man of integrity and humility. He served as Governor-General during the tenure of different governments headed by Sirimavo Bandaranaike of SLFP and Dudley Senanayake of UNP. He upheld the law and the constitution to the letter and won respect and admiration of all political parties.
William Gopallawa was born on 17 September 1896 at the Dullewe Maha Walauwa, Dullewe in the Matale District of Ceylon. He is related to Dullewe Dissava, a signatory on behalf of the Sinhalese to the Kandiyan Convention of 1815, by his mother Tikiri Kumarihamy Dullewe. His father, Tikiri Bandara Gopallawa died when he was three years old.
He received his primary education at the Dullewe village school and at St. John's College, Kandy. He continued his secondary education at Dharmaraja College, Kandy where he was a Scout and later moved to St. Anthony's College, Kandy. After having sat the Cambridge Senior Certificate Examination in 1917 he returned to his home town Matale and joined as the tutorial staff of Buddhist English School, Matale (now Vijaya College) and was also instrumental in setting up a library and a Scout troop for the benefit of the students there. In 1920 William joined the Ceylon Law College, Colombo and was enrolled as a Proctor and Notary Public in 1924. He was in active practice in Matale, Dumbara and Kandy from 1924 until he took up duties as Municipal Commissioner, Kandy in 1939.
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