Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

Senaipathige Theobald Philip Rodrigo, OBE (known as Sir Philip Rodrigo) 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 businessmen and philanthropist. He was a member of the

Senate of Ceylon The Senate was the upper chamber of the parliament of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1947 by the Soulbury Commission. The Senate was appointed and indirectly elected rather than directly elected. It was housed in the old Legislative Counci ...

. In July 1947, under the

Sinhala Welenda Mandalaya Ordinance Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka * Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language ** Sinha ...

which established the country's chamber of commerce, Philip Rodrigo was named among the first members of its board of trustees. His honors include the Ceylonese title 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 ...

, appointed Officer (Civil Division) in 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 ...

in the 1952 New Year Honours and

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 his social services in the 1953 Coronation Honours. He was married to Lady Marion Elizabeth Rodrigo. Their eldest daughter Daisybelle Rodrigo was married to

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Maurice de Mel Colonel Maurice Ann Gerard de Mel is a Ceylonese army officer. He served as Chief of Staff of the Ceylon Army and Commandant of the Ceylon Volunteer Force. He was one of the principals accused of the 1962 Ceylonese coup d'état attempt. Early l ...

and younger daughter Yvonne married Joseph Shelton Fernando, a civil servant who worked in the Department of Lands and Department of Housing, before appointment as Chairman, State Timber Cooperation.

References

Members of the Senate of Ceylon Ceylonese Knights Bachelor Ceylonese Officers of the Order of the British Empire Gate Mudaliyars Alumni of St. Benedict's College, Colombo {{SriLanka-academic-bio-stub