George Alfred Henry Wille (31 March 1871 - 31 August 1951) was a Ceylonese

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 ...

, notary public, journalist and politician. Willie was born on 31 March 1871, the second son of John Francis Wille (b. 1845) and Maria Charlotte née Kidd (1847–1928). He was educated at

Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...

. Wille was a partner at the legal firm of De Vos and Gratiaen. On 30 September 1896, he married Rosaline Anne née Brohier (1872–) in Wolvendaal Church, Colombo. They had six children: Frances Elaine (1898–1935); Evill Merle (b. 1899); Irene Gladys (b. 1900); George Vernon Frank (b. 1902); George Eustace Neil (b. 1906); and George Alfred Herbert (b. 1910). He was the only Burgher community leader who was an active participant of the Ceylon National Congress. He resigned from the Congress, following the retirement of Allen Drieberg, the Burger member of the

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 ...

, to take Drieberg's position on the Legislative Council, serving from 27 September 1924 to 1931. When the

1st State Council of Ceylon The 1st State Council of Ceylon was a meeting of the State Council of Ceylon, with the membership determined by the results of the 1931 state council election held between 13 and 20 June 1931. The parliament met for the first time on 7 July 1931 ...

was constituted in 1931, Wille was nominated as the Burgher member. He was however prevented from taking up the office due to professional problems at his legal firm, De Vos and Gratiaen. However, when the Burgher deputation to the

Donoughmore Commission The Donoughmore Commission (DC) was responsible for the creation of the Donoughmore Constitution in effect between 1931–47 in Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka). In 1931 there were approximately 12% Ceylonese Tamils, 12% Indian Tamils (migrant an ...

was selected, Wille was an undisputed representative. On 12 March 1936, he was appointed as a member of the

2nd State Council of Ceylon The 2nd State Council of Ceylon was a meeting of the State Council of Ceylon, with the membership determined by the results of the 1936 state council election held between 22 February and 7 March 1936. The parliament met for the first time on 1 ...

, serving until the council's dissolution on 4 July 1947. He died on 31 August 1951 at a nursing home in Colombo at the age of 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wille, George 1871 births 1951 deaths Members of the Legislative Council of Ceylon Members of the 2nd State Council of Ceylon Ceylonese proctors People from British Ceylon