Godfrey Edward Madawala (23 June 1878 – September 1932) was a

Ceylon 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, ...

ese lawyer and politician. He was a member of the

Legislative Council of Ceylon The Legislative Council of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1833, along with the Executive Council of Ceylon, on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission. It was the first form of represe ...

and the

State Council of Ceylon The State Council of Ceylon was the unicameral legislature for Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), established in 1931 by the Donoughmore Constitution. The State Council gave universal adult franchise to the people of the colony for the first time. It ...

. His father was Madawala Basnayaka Nilame, who was a

notary A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is distin ...

and landowner; his mother was Ranmenike from Walgama. Madawala was educated at

S. Thomas' College Saint Thomas or St. Thomas may refer to: People * Thomas the Apostle (died AD 72), Jewish-Christian follower of Jesus and evangelist * Thomas the Hermit, Coptic Desert Father and Saint of the 4th century * Thomas of Maurienne or Thomas of Farf ...

and

Trinity College Kandy Trinity College, Kandy is a private Anglican boys' school located in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It offers both day and boarding facilities. It was founded in 1872 by British Anglican missionaries of the Church Missionary Society, modelled on British ...

, where he completed his arts examination in 1897, then was admitted as a

proctor Proctor (a variant of ''wikt:procurator, procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: # In law, a proctor is a historica ...

of the

district court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...

Kurunegala Kurunegala (, ; , ) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of the North Western Province, Sri Lanka, North Western Province and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital for 50 years, from the end of the 13th ...

in 1901. Having established his legal practice in Kurunegala, he served as a

crown proctor A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

and a

unofficial magistrate In Sri Lanka, a Justice of the Peace and Unofficial magistrate (also known as Acting magistrate) is a judicial appointment made by the Minister of Justice to a particular jurisdiction under the ''Judicature Act No 02 of 1978''. An Unofficial magis ...

. He was large landowner, owning the Mahakeliya coconut estate, and hundreds of acres of paddyland in the Kurunegala District. Later he donated his residence, Godfrey Villa to the

Maliyadeva College Maliyadeva College () is a national school controlled by the Sri Lankan central government. It is located in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka, and was established in 1888 by the Buddhist Theosophical Society, led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott. It is on ...

. Madawala was elected to the Legislative Council representing the North Western Province- Eastern Division, Narammala in the

1921 Ceylonese Legislative Council election Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

and was re-elected in the

1924 Ceylonese Legislative Council election Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' D ...

. He was thereafter elected to the State Council in the

1931 Ceylonese State Council election The first election to the State Council of Ceylon were held from 13 to 20 June 1931. This was the first election in a British colony which used universal adult franchise. Background In 1931 the Donoughmore Constitution replaced the Legislative ...

from North Western Province from the

Ceylon Labour Party The Ceylon Labour Party (CLP) was a political party in Sri Lanka. History The Ceylon Labour Party was formed in October 1928, with A. E. Gunasinha as president and Proctor Marshall Perera as secretary. Its executive committee included C. H. Z. ...

. He died in office in September 1932 and was succeeded by W. H. de S. Jayasundara. He married Frances Alexandra Elsie, second daughter of C. E. Tennakoon, Rate Mahaththaya of Wanni Hath Paththu. They had three children, one son and two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madawala, Godfrey Edward 20th-century Sri Lankan people 1878 births 1932 deaths Members of the 1st State Council of Ceylon Members of the Legislative Council of Ceylon Sri Lankan justices of the peace and unofficial magistrates Ceylonese proctors Sinhalese people Sri Lankan lawyers Alumni of Trinity College, Kandy Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Maliyadeva College Ceylon Labour Party politicians