Frederick Charles Loos (13 December 1834 – 21 August 1911) was a

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

ese lawyer and politician. Frederick Charles Loos was born on 13 December 1834, the son of Christiaan Albertus Loos (Registrar of the

Supreme Court of Ceylon The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය, Sri Lanka Sreshthadikaranaya; ta, இலங்கை உயர் நீதிமன்றம், Ilankai uyar neetimanram) is th ...

) and Cornelia Rudolphina née Cramer, the second of nine children. In 1857 he graduated from the

Ceylon Law College Sri Lanka Law College (abbreviated as SLLC), formerly known as Ceylon Law College, is a law college, and the only legal institution where one can enroll as a attorney-at-law in Sri Lanka. It was established in 1874, under the then Council of Legal ...

as a

Proctor Proctor (a variant of ''procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: * In law, a proctor is a historical class of lawye ...

, starting up his own legal practice. On 25 April 1859 he married Jane Harriet née Keith (1838 – 1872) at the Holy Trinity Church, St Sebastian, Colombo, with whom he had seven children. On 2 November 1974 he married Isabel Amelia née Van Cuylenberg (1836 – 1935), with whom he had a further seven children. From 1865 to 1872 Loos served as a Councillor, representing the

Maradana Maradana is a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Maradana is the site of Maradana Railway Station, one of the primary railway hubs in the country, serving intercity rail and commuter rail. Maradana also has many railway yards and running sheds. A te ...

Seat, on the Colombo Municipal Council. After retiring from local politics he concentrated on his professional work and his legal practice. Loos purchased considerable property both in Colombo and

Nuwara Eliya Nuwara Eliya ( si, නුවර එළිය ; ta, நுவரெலியா) is a city in the hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its name means "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light". The city is the administrativ ...

, including the

Galle Face Hotel The Galle Face Hotel, founded in 1864, is one of the oldest hotels east of Suez. It is located on Galle Road, Colombo. The Ceylon Hotels Corporation is now part of the Galle Face Hotel Group. The hotel is a member of Select Hotels and Resorts Int ...

, converting the hotel business into a company, in which he was one of the largest share-holders. He also owned a number of tea estates. In June 1900 Loos was appointed as an unofficial member of

Legislative Council of Ceylon The Legislative Council of Ceylon was the legislative body of British Ceylon, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1833, along with the Executive Council of Ceylon, on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission. It was the first f ...

representing the

Burgher Burgher may refer to: * Burgher (social class), a medieval, early modern European title of a citizen of a town, and a social class from which city officials could be drawn ** Burgess (title), a resident of a burgh in northern Britain ** Grand Burg ...

community, replacing the previous member Henry Lorensz Wendt. On the completion of his first term of five years he was re-nominated for a second term and remained on the Council until his death in 1911. In 1908 Loos was elected as the inaugural president of the

Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon The Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon (abbreviated as: DBUC; ), known commonly as the Dutch Burgher Union (DBU), is an organisation of Dutch Burghers in Sri Lanka. It was established on 18 January 1908 by R.G. Anthonisz, Richard Gerald Anthonisz. Hi ...

, a position which he served until he died. In 1909 he was awarded with a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), in recognition of his services on the Legislative Council. Loos died on 21 August 1911 at the age of 76. His widow, Isabel Amelia, after Loos death, joined the Gospell Hall Brethren, purchasing land, building and furnishing the congregation with its own gospel hall, Bethesda Gospel Hall, in Colombo (which was dedicated on 3 April 1919). His two eldest sons, Frederick Charles (1861-1957) and Herman Albert (1865-?) also studied law and became barristers. His second youngest son, George Cecil Bertram, (1884-1915) was the first Ceylonese to be killed in action during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, while serving as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the 3rd Battalion,

Worcestershire Regiment The Worcestershire Regiment was a line infantry regiment in the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot. The regimen ...

on 12 March 1915 and was buried in the Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery in Belgium.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loos, Frederick Charles 1834 births 1911 deaths People from British Ceylon Members of the Legislative Council of Ceylon Ceylonese Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George