43 Facts About Oliver Goonetilleke

Oliver Goonetilleke was the first Ceylonese individual to hold the vice-regal post.

Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke was born on 20 October 1892 in Trincomalee in the northeast of Ceylon.

Oliver Goonetilleke was the fifth child of eight and the only son of Alfred Goonetilleke and Emily Jayasekera.

Oliver Goonetilleke was educated at Wesley College in Colombo where he won many prizes and scholarships including the Hill Medal and the Gogerly Scholarship.

Oliver Goonetilleke later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of London as an external student.

Oliver Goonetilleke joined O B Wijeyesekera's Bank of Colombo as a sub-accountant, which closed down a few years later following a run on the bank.

Oliver Goonetilleke was an honorary lieutenant in the Ceylon Cadet Corps.

In 1921, Oliver Goonetilleke joined the government service having been appointed the Assistant Auditor for Railway in the Audit Office and was thereafter promoted as the Assistant Colonial Auditor.

Oliver Goonetilleke was the first Ceylonese to be appointed as Colonial Auditor of the crown colony of Ceylon on 25 June 1931.

Oliver Goonetilleke took on additional duties as Chairman of the Salaries and Cadres Commission, Civil Defense Commissioner and Food Commissioner.

Oliver Goonetilleke was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1941 New Year Honours for services as Auditor General.

Oliver Goonetilleke was knighted in 1944 with a KBE for his services as the Civil Defence Commissioner in the New Year Honours.

Oliver Goonetilleke was thereafter advised Senanayake on approaching the members of the Soulbury Commission when they arrived in Ceylon in December 1944.

Oliver Goonetilleke became an "unofficial secretary" to the commission and significantly influenced it.

Oliver Goonetilleke was the first Ceylonese to hold the post of Financial Secretary.

Oliver Goonetilleke held the position until his resignation in September 1947.

Oliver Goonetilleke was awarded KCMG in the 1948 New Year Honours for his service as Financial Secretary, Ceylon.

Oliver Goonetilleke was appointed as the Minister of Home Affairs and Rural Development on 26 September 1947.

Oliver Goonetilleke had been appointed to the newly formed upper house of parliament, the Senate of Ceylon and became the Leader of the Senate when both houses were ceremonially opened by the Duke of Gloucester, marking the independence of Ceylon on 4 February 1948.

Oliver Goonetilleke was thereafter appointed the first Ceylonese High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and served till February 1951.

Oliver Goonetilleke returned to Ceylon in early 1951, to resume his cabinet position as Minister of Home Affairs and Rural Development and Leader of the Senate in March 1951 succeeding Edwin Wijeyeratne and served till April 1952.

Oliver Goonetilleke was appointed by Kotelawala to his cabinet as Ministry of Finance and the Treasury on 14 October 1953, while holding the post of Leader of the Senate.

Senanayake had died in 1952, and Colonel Sir John Kotalawela was Prime Minister when Oliver Goonetilleke succeeded to the position and took up residence in Queen's House.

Oliver Goonetilleke was a friend of the powerful philanthropist Sir Ernest de Silva who assisted him in the ascension to Governor-General.

Bandaranaike was pressured to remove Oliver Goonetilleke and reduce the pay of the Governor-General by members of his left-wing coalition.

Oliver Goonetilleke authorized the armed forces to shoot rioters, and the armed forces restored order in a few days.

Oliver Goonetilleke was forced to take decisive action, on 25 September 1959 when Prime Minister Bandaranaike was shot at his home at Rosmead Place while meeting the public.

Oliver Goonetilleke was at Queens House accepting letters of credence of the Italian Ambassador Count Paolo di Michelis di Sloughhello, when he was informed about the assassination attempt he stopped the ceremony and rushed to Rosmead Place.

Oliver Goonetilleke informed parliament to continue and at 11 AM declared a state of emergency, bringing the military to full readiness and mobilizing reservists.

Oliver Goonetilleke had a difficult decision when faced with the classic difficulty for a Governor-General, whether to dissolve Parliament, causing a new election, or call on a different faction to form a government when the Prime Minister lost Parliament's confidence.

Oliver Goonetilleke briefly held the portfolio of Minister of Finance from 21 March 1960 to 23 April 1960.

Oliver Goonetilleke called on Bandaranaike to form a government, and thus she became the world's first female prime minister.

Oliver Goonetilleke, while denying that he had played any such role, indicated that he had no objection to being questioned by the police.

Gopallawa was Mrs Bandaranaike's uncle, and she hoped that he would be more subservient to her than Oliver Goonetilleke had ever been.

Oliver Goonetilleke's tenure had lasted eight years and had included five prime ministers.

Oliver Goonetilleke settled into a retired life in London, in a self-imposed exile.

Oliver Goonetilleke was an avid horse racing enthusiast and horse owner with his horses racing at Epsom and Ascot.

Oliver Goonetilleke was a steward at both the Ceylon Turf Club and the Galle Gymkhana Club.

Oliver Goonetilleke faced many accusations of exchange fraud, for taking considerable sums of money out from Ceylon.

Oliver Goonetilleke first married Esther, sister of Brigadier Christopher Allan Hector Perera Jayawardena.

Esther Oliver Goonetilleke died of an illness when the three children were very young and before Oliver Goonetilleke entered the civil service.

Oliver Goonetilleke was a Director of the YMCA and held several high positions in the Diocese of the Anglican Church of Ceylon.

Oliver Goonetilleke received several honours and medals during his public service as the Auditor General, wartime service as Civil Defense Commissioner and in the later political career.