Edmund Fredrick Lorenz de Silva, (1912 – 1993) was a Ceylonese lawyer and politician. He was the Mayor of
Kandy
Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...
, Member of Parliament and Sri Lanka's Ambassador to France.
"16th Death Anniversary on 5th April, 2003 : Fred E. de Silva - 'lion' of the Kandy Criminal Bar"
/ref>
Early life and legal career
Born to George E. de Silva
George Edmund de Silva (8 June 1879 - 12 March 1950) was a Ceylonese lawyer and politician. He was the first Cabinet Minister of Industries, Industrial Research and Fisheries in independent Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) (1947–1948), a Member of Parli ...
a prominent proctor and legislator, he was educated at Hillwood Girls' School (Hillwood College, Kandy); Trinity College, Kandy and at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia
, motto_translation = Be Thou Forever
, song = Thomian Song
, athletics = Yes
, sports = Yes
, nickname = Thora
, denomination = Anglican
, patron ...
, where he was classmates of Dudley Senanayake. He returned to Trinity College for his final year. In 1931, he won the Open Law Scholarship to Ceylon Law College and became 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 ...
in 1935 and started his practice at his father's firm De Silva & Karunaratne. In 1950 became an advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...
and was called to bar from the Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...
in 1959 as a barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...
. He also played rugby union for the Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club
Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club, also known as CR & FC, is a Division-A rugby union team based in Colombo, Sri Lanka which plays in the Dialog Rugby League. Established in 1922, the club has won the Clifford Cup Knockout Tournament fifteen times, ...
and the Kandy Sports Club and was the president of the Kandy YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
.
Political career
Fredrick de Silva, joined his father when e was elected to the Kandy Municipal Council
The Kandy Municipal Council (Sinhala language, Sinhala: මහනුවර මහ නගර සභා ''Mahanuwara Maha Nagara Sabha'') is the Politics of Sri Lanka#Local government structure, local council for Kandy, the second largest city and ...
in 1939 and was elected Mayor of Kandy
The mayor of Kandy is the mayor and head of the Kandy Municipal Council
The Kandy Municipal Council (Sinhala language, Sinhala: මහනුවර මහ නගර සභා ''Mahanuwara Maha Nagara Sabha'') is the Politics of Sri Lanka#Local ...
in 1947. His father who was the first Minister of Industries, lost his parliamentary seat less a year into his tenure due to an election petition filled by his rival T.B. Illangaratne
Navaratne Rajakaruna Wasala Mudiyanselage Tikiri Bandara Ilangaratne (27 February 1913 – 21 May 1992), popularly as T. B. Ilangaratne, was a Sri Lankan politician, author, dramatist, and theater actor. He was a Member of Parliament for ...
, which striped his father of his civic rights. In the by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
that followed, Fredrick de Silva contested from the United National Party
The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP ( si, එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, translit=Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, ta, ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, translit=Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci), ...
and lost to Illangaratne. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(MBE) for his social services during the 1947 floods in the 1952 Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours 1952 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...
. Contesting the by-election in 1954 for the Kandy electorate as an independent, de Silva was elected the Member of Parliament and held the post till 1956.
From 1968 to 1971 he served as Ceylon's ambassador to France and was the head of Sri Lanka's delegation to UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
from 1968 to 1971. He was elected to the governing body (executive board) of the UNESCO. He was the chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
of the University of Peradeniya from 1990 to 1993.
Personal life
His son is Sir Desmond de Silva, former United Nations chief war crimes prosecutor in Sierra Leone.
See also
* Sri Lankan Non Career Diplomats
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:de Silva, Fredrick
Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to France
Members of the 2nd Parliament of Ceylon
Mayors of Kandy
United National Party politicians
Sinhalese lawyers
People from British Ceylon
Alumni of Ceylon Law College
Alumni of Trinity College, Kandy
Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia
Ceylonese proctors
Ceylonese advocates
Sri Lankan barristers
Members of Gray's Inn
1987 deaths
1912 births
Fredrick
Sri Lankan rugby union players
Ceylonese Members of the Order of the British Empire