Ernest de Silva, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetErnest de Silva
Sri Lankan businesmsan and lawyer
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
About Ernest de Silva
- Sir Aruther 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 polymath, he was the founder-chairman of the largest bank in Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), the Bank of Ceylon, the founder-governor of the State Mortgage Bank and chairman of the Ceylon All-Party committee.
- He made many contributions to Ceylonese society and is also considered to be the preeminent philatelist in the history of Ceylon.
- Upon Ceylon's independence, he was asked to become the first Ceylonese Governor General (representative of the King in Ceylon, i.e.
- de facto head of state), an honour he declined for personal reasons. De Silva was at the pinnacle of upper-class society and, as the wealthiest Ceylonese of his generation, he defined the island's ruling class.
- His memorials describe him as highly respected for his integrity and honesty.
Read more at Wikipedia