Sir James Peter Obeyesekere II,

Maha Mudaliyar The Maha Mudaliyar ( ''Head Mudaliyar'' or මහ මුදලි) was a colonial title and office in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Head Mudaliyar functioned as the head of the low country native headmen and native aide-de-camp to the Governor of Ceyl ...

, JP (1879–1968) was a

Ceylonese Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka * A person from Sri Lanka, see Demographics of Sri Lanka ** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority ** Sri Lankan Tamils, an ethnic minority ** Sri L ...

colonial-era

headmen The Headmen is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The Headmen first appearance, first appeared (as a team) in ''The Defenders (comic book), The Defenders'' #21 (March 1975) a ...

. He was the last Head Mudaliyar and served as aide-de-camp to the British

Governor of Ceylon {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The Governor of Ceylon can refer to historical vice-regal representatives of three colonial powers: Portuguese Ceylon * List of Captains of Portuguese Ceylon (1518–1551) * List of Captain-majors of Portuguese ...

and

Governor General of Ceylon The Governor-General of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch in the Dominion of Ceylon from the country's independence in 1948 until it became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972. History There were four governors-general. S ...

. Born to

James Peter Obeyesekere I James Peter Obeyesekere I (????-1880) was a Ceylonese legislator. He was an unofficial member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon representing the Sinhalese until his early death in 1880. James Peter Obeyesekere was born the eldest son of Don ...

, 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 ...

and Corneliya Henrietta Dias Bandaranaike, daughter of

Gate Mudaliyar Mudali (or Mudaliyar) was a colonial title and office in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) which was part of the native headman system. The Portuguese colonials created the Mudaliyar class in the 17th century by enlisting natives of different castes from ...

Don Christoffel Henricus Dias Bandaranaike and sister of Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike, Head Mudaliyar (1895-1928). He was the brother of Donald Obeyesekere, member of the

State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...

and his sister Hilda Obeyesekere married Sir

Paul Edward Pieris Sir Paul Edward Pieris Deraniyagala Samarasinha Sriwardhana, (February 16, 1874 – 1959) (''commonly known as'' Sir Paul E. Pieris) was a Ceylonese civil servant and historian. He served as Ceylon's Trade Commissioner and a District Judge and ...

of the

Ceylon Civil Service The Ceylon Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym CCS, was the premier civil service of the Government of Ceylon under British colonial rule and in the immediate post-independence period. Established in 1833, it functioned as part of the ...

. Educated at S. Thomas' College, Mutwal and at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

gaining a MA, he became a

and on his return to Ceylon 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, ...

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 ...

.OBEYESEKERE, - Family #3051
/ref> Having joined the colonial government service as a district commissioner, he succeeded his uncle Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike to the post of Head Mudaliyar (Maha Mudaliyar) in 1928. The post which was part of the staff of the British Governor, serving as his chief interpreter, native representative, adviser and aide-de-camp, therefore was one of the most powerful personalities in British colonial Ceylon. He was the last to hold the appointment serving under several British governors and governor generals in the post independence era. He was present when his nephew

Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සොලොමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிட்ஜ்வே டயஸ் ப� ...

took oaths as prime minister in front of the governor general

Sir Oliver Goonetilleke Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke ( si, ශ්‍රිමත් ඔලිවර් ගුණතිලක) (20 October 1892 – 17 December 1978) was a Sri Lankan statesman. Having served as an important figure in the gradual independence of Ceyl ...

on 12 April 1956. No other appointments to the post of Head Mudaliyar were made and it was dispensed with after the Bandaranaike government suspended British honors. His uniform was donated to the

Colombo National Museum The Colombo National Museum, also known as the Sri Lanka National Museum, is a museum in Colombo and the largest in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1877 and maintained by the Department of National Museums, it holds collections of significant importanc ...

following his death by his family. He was appointed a

Knights Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

for public services in Ceylon in the

1936 New Year Honours The 1936 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 31 December 1935. The recipients of honour ...

by King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

and was appointed a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

by the Governor. He married Amy Estelle Dias Bandaranaike and their son

James Peter Obeyesekere III Deshamanya James Peter Obeyesekere III (14 July 1915 – 23 October 2007) was a Sri Lankan politician and aviator. A Senator, he was also a Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and Finance.List of political families in Sri Lanka This is a partial listing of prominent political families in Sri Lanka. Abdul Majeed * A. L. Abdul Majeed (15 November 1933 – 13 November 1987) also known as Mutur Majeed, former Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Member Par ...

* Obeyesekere Walawa *

Bandaranaike family The Bandaranaike family is a Sri Lankan Sinhalisation of Kerala Tamil family origin that is prominent in family politics. Along with many members who have been successful politician across generations, the family includes three Prime Ministers a ...

References

External links

The Obeyesekere Ancestry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obeyesekere II, James Peter 1879 births 1968 deaths Ceylonese advocates Sri Lankan barristers People of British Ceylon Sri Lankan Christians Sinhalese lawyers Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Bandaranaike family Maha Mudaliyars Sri Lankan justices of the peace Ceylonese Knights Bachelor