James Aubrey Martensz (25 September 1885 – 26 March 1963) 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 statesmen. Following a successful legal practice, Martensz was appointed a member of the first

Parliament of Ceylon The Parliament of Ceylon was the legislative body of British Ceylon & Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1947 by the Soulbury Constitution, prior to independence on 4 February 1948. Parliament replaced the State Council of Ceylon. ...

, before stepping down to serve as Ceylon's first High Commissioner in Australia.

Early life and education

James Aubrey Martensz was born 25 September 1885, the oldest son, in a family of twelve, to James Andries Martensz (a planter) and Edith Maud née de Saram. He was the grandson of James Adrianus Martensz, 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 ...

. He received his education at

Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo also known as; Royal Colombo, Colombo Royal College or Colombo Royal) is a Single-sex education, boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started by Joseph Marsh (priest), Joseph Mar ...

Legal career

He studied law at the

Ceylon Law College Sri Lanka Law College (abbreviated as SLLC), formerly known as Ceylon Law College, is a law college, and the only legal institution where one can enrol as an Attorney-at-Law in Sri Lanka. It was established in 1874, under the then Council of Le ...

. Marthensz served for a number of years as the private secretary to Justice Wendt and in 1908 was admitted to the bar 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 ...

. He then joined the legal firm of F. J. & G. de Saram, eventually becoming a senior partner in the firm. He was created a

Justice of the Peace and 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 magist ...

Member of parliament

Following Ceylon's first parliamentary elections in 1947, Martensz was appointed as a member of the Ceylon House of Representatives. He was one of six members appointed by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

, to represent important interests which were not represented or inadequately represented in the House. He officiated as

Deputy Chairman of Committees The Deputy Chairperson of Committees is a position in the Parliament of Sri Lanka. List of office holders ;Parties See also Parliament of Sri Lanka Cabinet of Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka, the Cabinet of Ministers is the council ...

between October 1947 and December 1948, and on one occasion as

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

. He remained a member of parliament until he stepped down in January 1949.

High Commissioner to Australia

In January 1949 he was appointed as Ceylon's first High Commissioner in Australia by his close friend Prime Minister

D. S. Senanayake Don Stephen Senanayake (; ; 20 October 1884 – 22 March 1952) was a Ceylonese statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of Ceylon, having emerged as the leader of the Sri Lankan independence movement that led to the establishment ...

. In 1952, he was awarded the

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. He subsequently became Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in 1952.

Later life

Following his tenure as High Commissioner, he returned to Ceylon in August 1955 and was appointed Chairman of the

Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL), also known as Lake House, is a print media company in Sri Lanka. It publishes three daily, three weekend, five weekly, two monthly and three annual publications in Sinhala, English and Tamil. Ass ...

. In 1957, he was elected as president of the

Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon The Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon (abbreviated as: DBUC; ), known commonly as the Dutch Burgher Union (DBU), is an organisation of Dutch Burghers in Sri Lanka. It was established on 18 January 1908 by R.G. Anthonisz, Richard Gerald Anthonisz. Hi ...

, a position in which he served until 1959. A lifelong bachelor, Martensz emigrated to Australia in 1959 and died in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

on 26 March 1963.

References

1885 births Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Alumni of Ceylon Law College Burgher people Sri Lankan lawyers Sri Lankan justices of the peace and unofficial magistrates Ceylonese proctors Ceylonese Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deputy chairmen of committees of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Members of the 1st Parliament of Ceylon High commissioners of Sri Lanka to Australia 1963 deaths {{SriLanka-diplomat-stub