Alexander Fairlie Wijemanne was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n lawyer and politician. He was a Minister of Justice as an elected member of the Senate of Ceylon and served as Sri Lankan Ambassador to Italy and Permanent Representative to

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...

. Having qualified as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

, Wijemanne established his practice as an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

in the unofficial bar in Matara. A founding member of the United National Party, he first contested the 1947 general election from the Hakmana Electoral District and polled 4th. He was later elected to the Senate of Ceylon and appointed Minister of Justice by Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake in March 1965 and served till 1970. In 1972, he led the United National Party majority in the Senate when it was abolished. In 1977, he was appointed Sri Lankan Ambassador to Italy and Permanent Representative to

. Wijemanne married Margie Sharlett Jayewardene, daughter of

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

T. G. Jayewardene and sister of Major T. F. Jayewardene. She was a cousin of J. R. Jayewardene, the first Executive President of Sri Lanka. They had five children.

References

Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to Italy Ceylonese advocates Members of justice of Sri Lanka Members of the Senate of Ceylon People from Matara, Sri Lanka Representatives of Sri Lanka to the Food and Agriculture Organization Sinhalese people Sri Lankan lawyers Sri Lankan barristers United National Party politicians Year of birth missing {{SriLanka-diplomat-stub

See also

References