William Gopallawa

William Gopallawa (1896–1981) was a Sri Lankan statesman who served as Ceylon’s last governor-general and Sri Lanka’s first president.

Connect

Governor-General of Ceylon: The Crown’s representative in Ceylon, exercising the duties of head of state under the constitutional system. Gopallawa held this office immediately before becoming president.
British Ceylon: The British colony on the island of Ceylon, governed from 1815 until independence in 1948. Gopallawa began his public career under the colonial administration.
Dudley Senanayake: A Sri Lankan politician who served as prime minister during the country’s early post-independence decades. Senanayake appointed Gopallawa governor-general in 1962.
Sri Lanka: An island country in South Asia, known as Ceylon until 1972. Gopallawa served the state through its change from Ceylon to Sri Lanka.
President of Sri Lanka: The head-of-state office established when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972. Gopallawa became its first holder when the new constitution took effect.
Ceylon: The island state called Ceylon until it adopted the name Sri Lanka in 1972. It was the country whose governor-general Gopallawa became.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike: A Sri Lankan politician who became the world’s first woman prime minister in 1960. Her government oversaw the 1972 transition that made Gopallawa president.
Ceylon (Dominion): The independent Commonwealth realm of Ceylon that existed from 1948 to 1972. Gopallawa was its last governor-general.
1972 Constitution of Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka’s constitution that ended the monarchy’s formal role and established a republic. It converted Gopallawa’s office from governor-general to president.
Independence of Ceylon: The end of British colonial rule and creation of an independent Ceylon in 1948. It established the independent state in which Gopallawa later served as governor-general.