Governor-General of Ceylon

Governor-general of Ceylon

Coat of Arms of the Dominion of Ceylon
Style Excellency
Residence Queen's House
Appointer Monarch of Ceylon
Precursor Governor of British Ceylon
Formation 4 February 1948
First holder Henry Monck-Mason Moore
Final holder William Gopallawa
Abolished 22 May 1972
Succession President of Sri Lanka
Salary £8,000 a year

The governor-general of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch and head of state, who held the title of King or Queen of Ceylon (as of 1952, Queen Elizabeth II) from 1948 when the country became independent as a Dominion until it became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972.[1]

Role

The monarch, on the advice of the Prime Minister, appointed a governor-general to be his/her representative in Ceylon. Neither the monarch nor the Governor-General had any real authority in conducting the administration of the country (however, both possessed reserve powers under the constitution which would allow them full control of the nation's governance whenever in their opinion a case of emergency requiring such action arises). Real legislative and executive responsibilities rested with the elected representatives of the people. During several periods when a state of emergency was declared the Governor-General used his reserved powers.

The governor-general represented the monarch on ceremonial occasions such as the opening of Parliament, the presentation of honours and military parades. Under the Constitution, he was given authority to act in some matters, for example in appointing and disciplining officers of the civil service, in proroguing Parliament and so on, but only in a few cases was he empowered to act entirely on his own discretion. When the Monarch was present in Ceylon on official visits, the post of Governor-General ceased to exist during the said period. On the absence of the governor-general, the Chief Justice of Ceylon became acting Governor-General.

History

There were four governors-general who represented the Ceylonese monarch.

Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore became the last Governor of Ceylon and first governor-general when the Ceylon Order in Council, the first constitution of independent Ceylon came into effect. He was followed by Lord Soulbury, thereafter by Sir Oliver Goonetilleke the first Ceylonese to be appointed to the post. When William Gopallawa was appointed as Governor-General in 1962, he discarded the ceremonial uniform of office.

When Ceylon became a republic in 1972 the post was replaced by the office of President of Sri Lanka.

Residence

The official residence and office of the governor-general was the Queen's House (currently the President's House) in Colombo. Other Governor-General residences include:

Governors-general of Ceylon

Governor-Generals of Ceylon 1948–1972[2]
Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term of office Sovereign
Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore
GCMG KStJ
(1887–1964)		 4 February 1948 6 July 1949 George VI
Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury
GCMG GCVO OBE MC PC
(1887–1971)		 6 July 1949 17 July 1954
Elizabeth II
Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke
GCMG KCVO KBE
(1892–1978)		 17 July 1954 2 March 1962
William Gopallawa
MBE
(1897–1981)		 2 March 1962 22 May 1972
Acting Governors-general
Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term of office Sovereign
Acting
Justice Arthur Wijewardena
(1887–1964)		 195? 195? Elizabeth II
Acting
Justice C. Nagalingam
KC
(1893–1958)		 1954 1954

Flag of the governor-general

Flag used from 1948 to 1953
Flag used from 1953 to 1972

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ceylon Constitution Order in Council 1946". Tamilnation. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  2. ↑ Lentz, Harris M. (1994). Heads of States and Governments Since 1945. New York.: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. p. 704. ISBN 1-884964-44-3. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
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