William Alfred Goone-Tilleke (1860–1917) 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-

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

ese lawyer, entrepreneur and aristocrat. He was the founder of the law firm

Tilleke & Gibbins Tilleke & Gibbins is a regional law firm in Southeast Asia, with offices in Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, and Yangon. The firm's core practices are commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, dispute res ...

, a privy councilor and second Attorney General of Siam (1912–1917). In Siam he was also known as

Phraya The Thai nobility was a social class comprising titled officials (''khunnang'', th, ขุนนาง) in the service of Thai monarchy, the monarchy. They formed part of a hierarchical social system which developed from the time of the Ayutthaya K ...

Attakarnprasiddhi ( th, พระยาอรรถการประสิทธิ ).

Early life

Born to a well-known

Sinhalese 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 ...

family, William Alfred Goone-Tilleke was the son of Moses Goonetilleke 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 ...

, Chief Mudaliyar and

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 ...

for the Central Province of Ceylon. He was educated at

St Thomas' College St. Thomas' College (Autonomous), Thrissur is a government aided college located in Thrissur, Kerala, India. It is founded by Mar Adolph Medlycott in 1889. It is the oldest college in the Erstwhile Princely State of Cochin and present day Th ...

and at

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...

. Having been

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in Ceylon, he started a practice in Kandy and was also 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 1885. He thereafter served as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

of the Municipal Court.

Siam

In 1890, Tilleke came to

and started a new practice. In 1894, Tilleke gained recognition when he, together with Siamese lawyer Luang Damrong Thammasan, successfully defended Phra Yot Muang Kwang, a Siamese provincial governor, who had been accused of murdering a French military officer in the aftermath of the

Franco-Siamese War The Franco-Siamese War of 1893, known in Thailand as Incident of Thai solar calendar#Rattanakosin Era, R.S. 112 ( th, วิกฤตการณ์ ร.ศ. 112, , ) was a conflict between the French Third Republic and the Rattanakosin Kingdom, ...

of 1893. In the face of colonial pressure by the French and before a French Court conducted in Thailand, Tilleke defended Phra Yot with exonerating evidence. All seven judges returned a "not guilty" verdict. In 1897 he worked for the Attorney General's Office of Siam. At the same time, he was involved in the development of the country, investing in railway, rubber, and manufacturing companies. He owned the Bagan Rubber Company, active in the Malay sultanate of

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in the ...

, a vassal state of Siam until 1909. In 1902, he formed the firm

in partnership with Ralph Gibbins, an

Englishman The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common history and culture. The English identity is of Anglo-Saxon origin, when they were known in ...

who became a legal adviser in the Siamese Ministry of Justice, before serving as a judge on the International Court in 1916. With G. W. Ward, he started the '' Siam Observer'', the first English-language daily newspaper. Tilleke was a foreign legal advisor to King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

(Rama V). He was involved in the drafting of the 1908 Penal Code of Siam. Tilleke adopted Siamese citizenship in 1910, relinquishing his British passport. After having served as acting attorney general, Tilleke held the position of Attorney General of Siam from 1912 until his death in 1917. For his services, Tilleke was bestowed the

Thai noble title The Thai nobility was a social class comprising titled officials (''khunnang'', th, ขุนนาง) in the service of the monarchy. They formed part of a hierarchical social system which developed from the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (14th c ...

''Maha Ammat Tho Phraya Attakarn Prasiddhi'' by the Siamese King. His brothers were A. F. G. Tilleke (Phya Singhol), Assistant Harbour Master of Siam, and Dr. R. E. G. Tillek (Phya Viraj Vejjakich), king's physician, and head of the

Vajira Hospital Vajira Hospital ( th, วชิรพยาบาล, ) is one of the first hospitals in Thailand, founded by King Rama VI. It is a teaching university hospital of the Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University; the Faculty o ...

in Dusit District. His nephew, R. F. G. Tilleke, was editor of the '' Bangkok Times''. Goone-Tilleke's children changed their family name to ''Kunadilok'' (or ''Khuna-dilok''; th, คุณะดิลก, originally romanized as ''Guna Tilaka'' by King

Vajiravudh Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts ...

of Siam.) His son Daeng was a fighter for the

Free Thai Movement The Free Thai Movement ( th, เสรีไทย; ) was a Thai underground resistance movement against Imperial Japan during World War II. Seri Thai were an important source of military intelligence for the Allies in the region. Background I ...

during World War II. Tilleke's daughter Lekha was appointed to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in 1949 as the joint-first woman Senator in Thailand, and married

Khuang Aphaiwong Khuang Aphaiwong (also spelled ''Kuang'', ''Abhaiwong'', or ''Abhaiwongse''; th, ควง อภัยวงศ์, ; 17 May 1902 – 15 March 1968), also known by his noble title Luang Kowit-aphaiwong ( th, หลวงโกวิทอ� ...

who was prime minister of Thailand for three terms between 1944 and 1948 and leader of the Democrat Party of Thailand.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tilleke, William Alfred 1860 births 1917 deaths People of British Ceylon

William Alfred Tilleke William Alfred Goone-Tilleke (1860–1917) was a Ceylonese- Siamese lawyer, entrepreneur and aristocrat. He was the founder of the law firm Tilleke & Gibbins, a privy councilor and second Attorney General of Siam (1912–1917). In Siam he was also ...

Sinhalese lawyers Local politicians in Sri Lanka Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia University of Calcutta alumni

Attorneys general 19th-century Sri Lankan lawyers