| The Honourable Justice Eugene Wilfred Jayewardene |
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|---|---|
| Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ceylon | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 11, 1874 Kalutara, Ceylon |
| Died | November 23, 1932 Colombo, Ceylon |
| Nationality | Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) |
| Alma mater | Royal College Colombo |
Justice Eugene Wilfred Jayewardene, KC (June 11, 1874 – November 23, 1932) was a Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) judge, lawyer and politician. He was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ceylon and is the father of J R Jayewardene the first executive President of Sri Lanka.
Born to James Alfred Jayewardene, a Proctor who was the Deputy Coroner of Colombo, Jayewardene was educated at the prestigious Royal College Colombo. In 1897 he severed as the acting Private Secretary to Justice Granier before leaving for England for is studies in law. After begin called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1908, he return to Ceylon and started a successful legal career. He was the President of the Law Students’ Union. He joined the Ceylon Light Infantry a reservist regiment of the Ceylon Defence Force as Second Lieutenant and later made Captain.
Severing as an acting District Judge (1910–1911) and later a Police Magistrate, he became the Commissioner of Requests in 1916 and was a member of the Legal Council of Education. In 1920 he became a member of the Colombo Municipal Council in 1920. In May 1928, he was appointed judge of the Supreme Court of Ceylon and took a leading role in the revision and comparison of the new Criminal Procedure Code. He later became the Chief Justice of Ceylon.
In 1905, Jayewardene married Agnes Helen Don Philip Wijewardena, with whom he had nine children. Most notable of whom were J R Jayewardene and Hector Wilfred Jayewardene, QC. His brother Colonel Theodore Godfrey Wijesinghe Jayewardene was a Member of the State Council for Balangoda electorate.