Stanley de Zoysa (27 June 1907 - 10 December 1970) was a

Sri Lanka 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 ...

n businessmen and politician. He was the former Cabinet Minister of Finance (1956–1959) in

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

's government, subsequently Minister of Interior (1959–1960) and Ceylon's Ambassador to

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. De Zoysa was the son of

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 ...

Francis de Zoysa Sir Francis Sreenath de Zoysa Abeysiriwardena, KC (1874–1942) was a Ceylonese lawyer and statesmen. He was a member of the State Council of Ceylon and a president of the Ceylon National Congress. Legal career He was born in the coastal villag ...

, KC 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 member of the first

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 Lady Ethel Perera Amarasekera Siriwardena. He had several siblings, some of who gained prominence in several fields: Sydney de Zoysa (former

Deputy inspector general of police A Deputy Inspector General of Police (abbreviated as DIG) is a high-ranking official position in Police in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. India Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) is a rank ...

), A. C. "Bunty" de Zoysa (

President's Counsel President's Counsel (postnominal PC) is an eminent lawyer who is appointed by the President of Sri Lanka to be one of the "President's Counsel learned in the law". The term is also recognized as an honorific which replaced the practice of appoi ...

), Violet Rajapakse (who married Tudor Rajapakse), Olga de Zoysa (first Miss Ceylon), and

Lucien de Zoysa Lucien Edward de Zoysa (1917 – 1995) was a Ceylonese cricketer who played first-class cricket between 1947 and 1954. He became a stage actor, playwright, author, and cricket commentator on radio. Early life and education Lucien de Zoysa was on ...

(famous cricket commentator). His uncle was

Sir Ernest de Silva Sir Albert Ernest de Silva (26 November 1887 – 9 May 1957) was a Ceylonese business magnate, banker, barrister and public figure, considered to be the most prominent Ceylonese philanthropist of the 20th century. A wealthy and influential polym ...

. Sydney de Zoysa was educated at the

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 ...

, he went into business and became a prominent businessmen. Joining the

Sri Lanka Freedom Party The Sri Lanka Freedom Party ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂය, translit=Śrī Laṁkā Nidahas Pakṣaya; ta, இலங்கை சுதந்திரக் கட்சி, translit=Ilaṅkai Cutantirak Ka� ...

, he contest the 1956 general election from the Ja-Ela electorate and was elected to parliament defeating 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), ...

candidate G. J. Paris Perera. He was appointed

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

on 12 April 1956 by Prime Minister Bandaranaike. He was forced to resign on 23 November 1959 following the arrest of his brother F. R. de Zoysa and his former bodyguard Ossie Corea as a result of the investigation into the Bandaranaike assassination. Both F. R. de Zoysa and Ossie Corea were released although it was found the murder weapon belong to Corea. Sydney de Zoysa was subsequently appointed Minister of the Interior in 1959 and served till 1960 when parliament was dissolved for elections. He contest the Ja-Ela electorate in the 1960 March general election and in the 1960 July general election from the

Lanka Prajathanthravadi Pakshaya Lanka Prajathanthravadi Pakshaya ('Ceylon Democratic Party') was a political party in Sri Lanka. LPP was led by Dr. Wijeyananda Dahanayake. In the 1960 elections LPP was part of the 'Mahajana Eksath Peramuna' coalition, consisting of the Sri Lan ...

, but was defeated by G. J. Paris Perera. He was appointed Ceylon's Ambassador to

in the late 1960s and served till 1970.1969-70 Fergusons Ceylon Directory
/ref> He was married to Sheila de Zoysa. He was a cousin of M. P. de Z. Siriwardena.

References and External links

Sydney Zoysa was tough
Footnotes {{DEFAULTSORT:De Zoysa, Stanley Finance ministers of Sri Lanka Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to Indonesia Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Members of the 3rd Parliament of Ceylon Sinhalese politicians 1907 births Year of death missing