Don Baron Jayatilaka
Minister of Home Affairs | |
---|---|
In office 10 July 1931 – 30 November 1942 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Arunachalam Mahadeva |
Leader of the House | |
In office 10 July 1931 – 30 November 1942 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Don Stephen Senanayake |
Vice-President of the Legislative Council of Ceylon | |
In office 1930–1931 | |
President | Herbert Stanley Bernard Henry Bourdillon Graeme Thomson |
Preceded by | James Peiris |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Waragoda, Educationalist | 13 February 1868
Profession | Barrister |
Sir Don Baron Jayatilaka,
Early life
Born at Waragoda, Kelaniya, he was the eldest male child of ickremaratchi Imia Rajakaruna Liyana Atukoralage Don Daniel Jayatilaka Senanayake Liyana Aratchi of Pattalagedera, Veyangoda, a government servant, and his wife Liyanage Dona Elisiana Perera Weerasinghe, daughter of oriental scholar, Don Andiris de Silva Batuwantudawe of Werahena, Bentota. He had two brothers, and two sisters, both of whom died young.[3]
Education
When he was seven years Jayatilaka was sent to the
Teaching career
On his return to Ceylon, he took to teaching, joining the staff of Wesley College and then Dharmaraja College, where he later became Principal. In December 1898, he was appointed Principal of Ananda College (formally known as English Buddhist School) which was managed by the Theosophical Society and served till December 1907.[4]
Legal career
He left for Europe in 1910, spending three years there. During which he attended as the representative of Ceylon, at the Congress of Religions in
Theological society
He first met Colonel Henry Steel Olcott in 1890 and joined his campaign to establish English medium Buddhist schools in the country. In 1890 he was appointed as the Principal of the Buddhist High School in Kandy (now Dharmaraja College), thereafter he became the Vice - Principal of the English Buddhist School in Colombo (now Ananda College) under Principal E. W. Buultjens. One year later in 1898 he succeeded Buultjens as Principal. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Young Men's Buddhist Association (YMBA) at Borella becoming its President in 1898 and holding the post until his death.[4]
Political career
1915 riots and detention
During the
Legislative council
He returned in 1919 and was elected president of the Ceylon National Congress in 1923. Soon thereafter he was elected from the Colombo District to the Legislative Council of Ceylon and was elected as its vice-president after the demise of Sir James Peiris in 1930. The post of president was held by the Governor of Ceylon.
State council
Following the constitutional reforms of the Donoughmore Commission, Jayatilaka was elected to the newly formed State Council of Ceylon from Kelaniya in 1931. At the first siting of the State Council he was elected Leader of the House and Minister for Home Affairs. Shortly thereafter he was appointed vice chairman of the Board of Ministers. Re-elected to the State Council in 1936, he was re-elected Leader of the House and Minister for Home Affairs and served until he resigned the State Council in November 1942. During World War II, he helped organise volunteers to unload food from ships at the Colombo harbour after it was deserted following Japanese air raids.[6]
Representative of Ceylon in India
In August 1943, he went to India to negotiate food shipments to Ceylon after they were stopped by the Indian Government. Following successful completion of negotiations he was appointed as
Honors
He was knighted as a Knight Bachelor in the 1932 New Year Honours for his service as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Ministers and Leader of the State Council of the Island of Ceylon.[7] Sir Baron Jayatilaka was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1943 Birthday Honours while he served as the representative of the Ceylon Government in India.[8]
Social services
He served as president of the
Sir D. B. Jayathilaka served as the president of
Personal life
He married Mallika Batuwantudawe, daughter of Robert Batuwanthudawa who owned the Lanka Abhihawa Visrutha Press that had published the Dinamina newspaper when it was owned by H. S. Perera, before it was taken over by D. R. Wijewardena. The marriage took place on 12 August 1898 at Waragoda, and produced five children, three daughters and two sons.[3]
Death and legacy
In 1944, he fell ill and began his return to Ceylon. He died on 29 May 1944 due to a heart attack in Bangalore. His body was returned to Ceylon in a special plane for the final rites. Sir Baron Jayatilaka was highly respected during his lifetime by both Ceylonese and British. Following his retirement from the State Council, he held the first diplomatic appointment of the Government of Ceylon.
On 4 January 1933, Jayatilaka had written his last will, in which he made the
See also
- Sri Lankan Non Career Diplomats
References
- ^ Don Baron Jayatilaka
- ^ a b Sirisena, Sunil S. (6 January 2019). "Birth Anniversary: Sir D.B. Jayatilaka - flag bearer of Buddhist education". The Sunday Observer.
- ^ a b c d Ratnasinghe, Aryadasa. "58th Death Anniversary : Sir D.B. Jayatilaka - Scholar and national leader". worldgenweb.org. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "58th Death Anniversary : Sir D.B. Jayatilaka - Scholar and national leader". worldgenweb.org. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "SIR DON BARON JAYATILAKA: THE EPOCH MAKER". Daily News. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ WIJEWARDHANE, RAVINDRA. "Sir D.B. Jayatilaka A great Literati and Statesman". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "THE LONDON GAZETTE, 1 MARCH, 1932". thegazette.co. The London Gazette. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 2 JUNE, 1943". thegazette.co.uk. The London Gazette. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "Past Presidents". Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ Sinhala Dictionary Office. “Former Editors”
- ^ Gunatilleke, Nadira. "Sir D.B. Jayatilaka's 75th death anniversary The legacy of a remarkable educationalist". Daily News. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ Statue of D. B. Jayatilaka unveiled to commemorate 150th birth anniversary
External links