Wilmot A. Perera

The Honourable Wilmot A. Perera
1st Ceylonese Ambassador to China
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for Matugama
In office 1947–1956
Personal details
Born	1905
Died	1973 Horana
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Political party	Independent Socialist / Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Other political affiliations	Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Spouse(s)	Esme Perera Abeywardena
Children	Enoka & Ajit
Residence	Horana
Alma mater	Royal College, Colombo
Occupation	Planter

Wilmot A. Perera (1905–1973) was a Sri Lankan statesman and philanthropist. He was declared a National Hero in 1993. A Member of Parliament, he was Ceylon's first Ambassador to China.

Born in Panadura to M. Abraham Perera, a wealthy landowner, widely known as the "Rubber King", he was educated initially at Cyril Jansze College, Panadura and later at the prestigious Royal College Colombo.

Taking over the family plantations, he became active in his home area, establishing the first rural development society in Raigam Korale. He went on to establish Sri Palee College in Horana, based on the Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan in 1934. The foundation stone was laid by Tagore on 20th May 1934 on his last visit to Ceylon. The Sri Palee Trust was established by him to manage the lands gifted by him. After his death, part of this property comprising many buildings was donated to the University of Ceylon by his family, in his memory in 1976. This later became the Sri Palee Campus of the University of Colombo.

In 1935 he became a founding member of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, becoming active politics and the Independence movement he was elected to the first post independence parliament in 1947 as an Independent Socialist. He was also a member of the Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party for a short while. He was appointed as the 1st Ceylonese Ambassador to China in 1957 when Ceylon established diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China. In 1961 he was appointed to head the Salaries and Cadres Commission (known thereafter as the Wilmot A. Perera Commission). After his death, his ancestral home in Panadura was handed over to the Sri Sumangala Girls' School. He was married to Esme Perera Abeywardena, they had two children, a daughter Enoka & son Ajit.

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  Wilmot A Perera greeting Rabindranath Tagore when he arrived to lay the foundation stone to Sri Palee, on 20th May 1934.

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  Wilmot A. Perera with Hon. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike PM & Sir Swarvapali Radhakrishan, Pres. of India during a visit to Sri Palee

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  Wilmot A. Perera presenting his credentials to Chairman Mao as Ceylon's 1st Ambassador

Bibliography

• Problems of Rural Ceylon (1932)

See also

• Sri Palee Campus
• Sri Palee College
• Sri Lankan Non Career Diplomats

References & External links

• Perera, Wilmot A. (1905-73)
• Sri Lanka China trade relationship
• THE LANKA SAMASAMAJA PARTY (LSSP) 1935 ? 2007
• Wilmot A. Perera

v t e // Members of 1st Parliament of Ceylon (1947 (1947)-1952) → Speaker: Alfred Molamure/Albert Peries Prime Minister: Don Stephen Senanayake/Dudley Senanayake Leader of the Opposition: N. M. Perera H. W. Amarasuriya S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike P. B. Bulankulame S. J. V. Chelvanayakam Colvin R. de Silva A. E. Goonesinha Philip Gunawardena Junius Richard Jayewardene Pieter Keuneman Alfred Francis Molamure E. A. Nugawela N. M. Perera Wilmot A. Perera Albert Peries G. G. Ponnambalam Abeyratne Ratnayaka J.A. Martenze Don Stephen Senanayake Dudley Senanayake Cathiravelu Sittampalam Savumiamoorthy Thondaman T. B. Jayah Arthur de Zoysa *This list is unfinished.

v t e ← Members of 2nd Parliament of Ceylon (1952 (1952)-1956) → Speaker: Albert Peries Prime Minister: Dudley Senanayake/John Kotelawala Leader of the Opposition: S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike Razik Fareed Junius Richard Jayewardene C. W. W. Kannangara Pieter Keuneman John Kotelawala Subaiya Nadesan Wilmot A. Perera Albert Peries G. G. Ponnambalam Dudley Senanayake Cathiravelu Sittampalam *This list is unfinished.