Ernest De Silva
Sir Ernest de Silva (26 November 1887 – 9 May 1957) was a Sri Lankan business magnate, banker, barrister and public figure, considered to be the most prominent Sri Lankan philanthropist of the 20th century. A wealthy and influential polymath, he was the founder-chairman of the largest bank in 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 Sri Lankan society and is also considered to be the preeminent philatelist in the history of Sri Lanka. Upon Sri Lanka'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 Sri Lankan of his generation, he defined the island's ruling class. His memorials describe him as highly respected for his integrity and honesty.
Read more about Ernest De Silva: Formative Years, Philanthropy, Faith, Wealth, Hobbies, Final Years
Famous quotes containing the words ernest and/or silva:
“Put shortly, these are the two views, then. One, that man is intrinsically good, spoilt by circumstance; and the other that he is intrinsically limited, but disciplined by order and tradition to something fairly decent. To the one party man’s nature is like a well, to the other like a bucket. The view which regards him like a well, a reservoir full of possibilities, I call the romantic; the one which regards him as a very finite and fixed creature, I call the classical.”
—Thomas Ernest Hulme (1883–1917)
“Everyone was tired with the old style politicians and their flowery rhetoric. I just told them there are tough times ahead, but that they would be less tough with me in charge.”
—Anibal Cavaco Silva (b. 1939)