William Gopallawa
The last governor-general of Ceylon
Died when: 83 years 136 days (1000 months)Star Sign: Virgo
William Gopallawa MBE (Sinhala: ??????? ???????, Tamil: ????????? ??????????; 17 September 1896 – 31 January 1981) was the last Governor-General of Ceylon from 1962 to 1972 and became the first and only non-executive and ceremonial President of Sri Lanka when Ceylon declared itself a republic in 1972 and changed its name to Sri Lanka.
From 1948 to 1972, the Dominion of Ceylon was a Commonwealth realm with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state and Queen of Ceylon.
He served as Governor-General during the tenure of different governments headed by Sirimavo Bandaranaike of the SLFP and Dudley Senanayake of the UNP.
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