Sir Solomon Christoffel Obeyesekere (12 February 1848 – 13 October 1927) was

Ceylonese Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka ** Demographics of Sri Lanka * Sri Lankan people, or of Sri Lankan descent; this includes: ** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority ** Sri Lankan T ...

lawyer and legislator. He was an unofficial 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 ...

(1900-1916).

Early life and career

Solomon Christoffel Obeyesekere was born 12 February 1848, the youngest son of Don Bastian Ferdinandus Wijesiri Guneratne Obeyesekere,

Mudaliyar Thuluva Vellalar, also known as Agamudi Mudaliar or Arcot Mudaliars, is a caste found in northern Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh and southern Karnataka. They were an elite and dominant land-owning community. Etymology The earliest occu ...

of Talpe Pattu and Cornelia Susanna Dias née Bandaranaike (daughter of Don Solomon Dias Bandaranaike, Mudliyar of Udugaha). His older brother was

James Peter Obeyesekere I James Peter Obeyesekere I (????-1880) was a Ceylonese legislator. He was an unofficial member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon representing the Sinhalese until his early death in 1880. James Peter Obeyesekere was born the eldest son of Don Ba ...

. His father died soon after he was born and his mother returned to Colombo. She then married her cousin, Rev. Samuel William Dias Bandaranaike and they had two boys and two girls. The oldest son, Felix Reginald was a

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

judge. Obeyesekere was educated at

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

and S. Thomas' College, Mutwal. In 1866 he passed the entrance examination for the

Calcutta University The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

, obtaining a first class diploma in 1868. He was apprenticed to Charles Ambrose Lorensz and in 1872 he qualified 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 ...

, heading the list in every subject. Engaging in his legal practice, Obeyesekere managed the large family land holdings and was elected President of the Low Country Planters’ Association. In February 1900, Obeysekara was appointed as the Unofficial Member representing the low country Sinhalese in the Legislative Council, replacing Anthonisz De Alwis Seneviratne. He served on the Council until 1916. In 1902 he was among the Ceylonese representatives invited to attend the London

Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra The coronation of the British monarch, coronation of Edward VII and his wife, Alexandra of Denmark, Alexandra, as King of the United Kingdom, king and List of British royal consorts, queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, ...

. He was knighted in 1911 as a Knights Bachelor.
The London Gazette
', 24 February 1911 (issue 28469), p. 1462.

Family

He married Ezline Maria de Alwis, the eldest daughter of James De Alwis, an unofficial member of the Legislative Council. They had four children: * Daisy Ezline who married Sir

Solomon Dias Bandaranaike Sir Solomon Dias Abeywickrema Jayatilleke Senewiratna Rajakumaruna Kadukeralu Bandaranaike, ( Sinhala: සොලමන් ඩයස් අබේවික්‍රම ජයතිලක සෙනෙවිරත්න රාජකුමාරු ...

:*their son,

Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (8 January 1899 – 26 September 1959), also known as "The Silver Bell of Asia" (ආසියාවේ රිදී සීනුව), was a Sri Lankan statesman who served as the fourth Prime Minister of ...

became

Prime Minister of Ceylon The prime minister of Sri Lanka, officially the prime minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's exec ...

(1956-1959), followed by his wife,

Sirimavo Bandaranaike Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (; ; ; 17 April 1916 – 10 October 2000), commonly known as Sirimavo Bandaranaike, was a Sri Lankan politician. She was the List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government, world's first fe ...

(1960–1965, 1970–1977 and 1994–2000) ::*their daughter (Obeyesekere's great-grand daughter)

Chandrika Kumaratunga Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (; ; born 29 June 1945), commonly referred to by her initials CBK, is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the fifth President of Sri Lanka, President of Sri Lanka from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005. ...

, became the

President of Sri Lanka The president of Sri Lanka ( ''Śrī Laṅkā Janādhipati''; ''Ilaṇkai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union governm ...

(1994-2005) ::*their son (Obeyesekere's great-grand son)

Anura Bandaranaike Anura Bandaranaike (15 February 1949 – 16 March 2008) was a Sri Lankan politician, who served as Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka (2000-2001) and Leader of the Opposition (1983–1988). He held several cabinet ministries: as Foreig ...

(1949–2008); became the

Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka The Speaker of the Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the presiding officer of the chamber. The Speaker fulfills a number of important functions in relation to the operation of the House, which is based upon the ...

, a Government Minister and Member of Parliament * Liliyan Augusta who married Gate Mudaliyar Simon William Ilangakoon :*their son Christophel Panini Illangakoon was the Member of Parliament for

Weligama Weligama (, ) is a town on the south coast of Sri Lanka, located in Matara District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. The name ''Weligama'', literally means "sandy village" which refers to the area's sandy sweep bay. It ...

(1965-1960 and 1970-1977) * Sir Forester Augustus, member of the Legislative Council and Speaker of the State Council (1934-1935) * Ethel Mildred who married Dr William Christoffel Pieris Siriwardene.

References

External links

The Obeyesekere Ancestry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obeyesekere, Solomon Christoffel 1848 births 1927 deaths Ceylonese Knights Bachelor People from British Ceylon Sri Lankan Christians Members of the Legislative Council of Ceylon Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Ceylonese proctors

Early life and career

Family

See also

References

External links