Governor-general of Ceylon

Governor-general of Ceylon
Coat of Arms of the Dominion of Ceylon
William Gopallawa, MBE
Style	Excellency
Residence	Queen's House
Appointer	Monarch of Ceylon
Precursor	Governor of British Ceylon
Formation	4 February 1948
First holder	Henry Monck-Mason Moore
Final holder	William Gopallawa
Abolished	22 May 1972
Succession	President of Sri Lanka
Salary	£8,000 a year

The governor-general of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch and head of state, who held the title of King or Queen of Ceylon (as of 1952, Queen Elizabeth II) from 1948 when the country became independent as a Dominion until it became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972.^[1]

Role

The monarch, on the advice of the Prime Minister, appointed a governor-general to be his/her representative in Ceylon. Neither the monarch nor the Governor-General had any real authority in conducting the administration of the country (however, both possessed reserve powers under the constitution which would allow them full control of the nation's governance whenever in their opinion a case of emergency requiring such action arises). Real legislative and executive responsibilities rested with the elected representatives of the people. During several periods when a state of emergency was declared the Governor-General used his reserved powers.

The governor-general represented the monarch on ceremonial occasions such as the opening of Parliament, the presentation of honours and military parades. Under the Constitution, he was given authority to act in some matters, for example in appointing and disciplining officers of the civil service, in proroguing Parliament and so on, but only in a few cases was he empowered to act entirely on his own discretion. When the Monarch was present in Ceylon on official visits, the post of Governor-General ceased to exist during the said period. On the absence of the governor-general, the Chief Justice of Ceylon became acting Governor-General.

History

There were four governors-general who represented the Ceylonese monarch.

Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore became the last Governor of Ceylon and first governor-general when the Ceylon Order in Council, the first constitution of independent Ceylon came into effect. He was followed by Lord Soulbury, thereafter by Sir Oliver Goonetilleke the first Ceylonese to be appointed to the post. When William Gopallawa was appointed as Governor-General in 1962, he discarded the ceremonial uniform of office.

When Ceylon became a republic in 1972 the post was replaced by the office of President of Sri Lanka.

Residence

The official residence and office of the governor-general was the Queen's House (currently the President's House) in Colombo. Other Governor-General residences include:

• the Queen's Pavilion, in Kandy, was the residences used for (rare) state functions;
• the Queen's Cottage was the vacationing residence in the town of Nuwara Eliya.

Governors-general of Ceylon

Portrait	Name	Birth	Death	Governor-General From	Governor-General Until	Sovereign
	Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore, GCMG, KStJ	1887	1964	4 February 1948	6 July 1949	George VI
	Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury, GCMG, GCVO, OBE, MC, PC	6 March 1887	30 January 1971	6 July 1949	17 July 1954	George VI Elizabeth II
	Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke, GCMG, KCVO, KBE	20 October 1892	17 December 1978	17 July 1954	2 March 1962	Elizabeth II
	William Gopallawa, MBE	17 September 1897	31 January 1981	2 March 1962	22 May 1972	Elizabeth II

Acting Governors-general

Portrait	Name	Birth	Death	Governor-General From	Governor-General Until	Sovereign
	Acting Justice Arthur Wijewardena	21 March 1887	1964	195?	195?	Elizabeth II
	Acting Justice C. Nagalingam, KC	25 October 1893	25 October 1958	1954	1954	Elizabeth II

Flag of the governor-general

Flag used from 1948 to 1953

Flag used from 1953 to 1972

See also

• Monarchy of Ceylon
• Governor of Ceylon
• President of Sri Lanka

References

1. V "Ceylon Constitution Order in Council 1946" Check |url= value (help). Tamilnation. Retrieved 9 November 2012.