When was William Gopallawa born?

William Gopallawa was born on 17 September 1897 in Matale.

What positions has William Gopallawa held?

Positions held by William Gopallawa include: Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement (1976–1978); President of Sri Lanka (1972–1978); ambassador.

Where did William Gopallawa study?

William Gopallawa was educated at St. Anthony's College, Kandy, Christ Church College, Matale.

Abbie Rowe · Public domain

Suggest a better photo · Report

William Gopallawa

Sri Lankan President (1897-1981)

EnglishRead in your language
CitedEvery fact sourced
Ad-freeNo ads, no tracking

William Gopallawa was a Sri Lankan statesman who served as the last Governor-General of Ceylon from 1962 to 1972. That year, Ceylon became a republic, and changed its name to Sri Lanka; he would serve as the first and only non-executive President of Sri Lanka until 1978.

Quick facts

Born: 17 September 1897 wd
Place of birth: Matale wd
Died: 31 January 1981 wd
Place of death: Colombo wd
Citizenship: Sri Lanka wd
Occupation: diplomat, politician wd
Political party: independent politician wd
Education: St. Anthony's College, Kandy, Christ Church College, Matale wd
Spouse: Seelawathie Gopallawa wd

Positions held wd

Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement (16 August 1976 – 4 February 1978)
President of Sri Lanka (22 May 1972 – 4 February 1978)
ambassador

Awards wd

Member of the Order of the British Empire

Questions

When was William Gopallawa born?: William Gopallawa was born on 17 September 1897 in Matale.
What positions has William Gopallawa held?: Positions held by William Gopallawa include: Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement (1976–1978); President of Sri Lanka (1972–1978); ambassador.
Where did William Gopallawa study?: William Gopallawa was educated at St. Anthony's College, Kandy, Christ Church College, Matale.

Sources

Last updated 9 November 2026 · facts checked 9 November 2026

Cite this page

"William Gopallawa". DigiNepal. Last updated 9 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/william-gopallawa. Retrieved 10 November 2026.

Machine-readable versions: JSON · Markdown

Text from the Wikipedia article William Gopallawa, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: JFKWHP-AR6771-B (cropped).jpg — Abbie Rowe, Public domain.

Is this you, or do you work in this person's office? Claim this profile