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Sir Ernest de Silva | |
|---|---|
| ශ්රිමත් අර්නස්ට් ද සිල්වා | |
 | |
| Born | 26 November 1887 |
| Died | 9 May 1957 (aged 69) |
| Nationality | Ceylonese |
| Other names | Sir A.E. de Silva |
| Education | Clare College, Cambridge, Royal College, Colombo |
| Spouse | Senator Lady Evadne de Silva |
Sir Albert Ernest de Silva (Sinhala ශ්රිමත් අර්නස්ට් ද සිල්වා; 26 November 1887 – 9 May 1957) was a Ceylonese business magnate, banker, barrister and public figure, considered to be the most prominent Ceylonese philanthropist of the 20th century.[1] A wealthy and influential polymath, he was the founder-chairman of the largest bank in Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), the Bank of Ceylon,[2] the founder-governor of the State Mortgage Bank and chairman of the Ceylon All-Party committee. He made many contributions to Ceylonese society and is also considered to be the preeminent philatelist in the history of Ceylon.[3] Upon Ceylon's independence, he was asked to become the first Ceylonese Governor General (representative of the King in Ceylon, i.e. de facto head of state), an honour he declined for personal reasons.[4] De Silva was at the pinnacle of upper-class society and, as the wealthiest Ceylonese of his generation, he defined the island's ruling class. His memorials describe him as highly respected for his integrity and honesty.[1]
- ^ a b Ratnayake, Shanika. "He owned much but gave away even more: Remembering Sir Ernest de Silva (1887–1957)", The Sunday Times Online, v. 41 no. 51 (20 May 2007).
- ^ Sunday Times Online, vol. 42, no. 09 (29 July 2007)
- ^ Fazli Sameer, Royal Alumni (1 November 2007)
- ^ Ratnayake, Shanika. "He owned much but gave away even more: Remembering Sir Ernest de Silva (1887–1957)", The Sunday Times Online, v. 41 no. 51 (20 May 2007)