Don Stephen Senanayake (21 October 1883 – 22 March 1952) was Prime Minister of Ceylon from 24 September 1947 to 22 March 1952, preceding Dudley Senanayake.
Biography[]
Don Stephen Senanayake was born in Mirigama, Ceylon in 1883. A devout Buddhist, he worked on his father's rubber plantation before entering politics. He was elected to the Ceylon Legislative Council in 1922 and became Vice-President of the State Conucil in 1936. In 1931, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Land, an office he held until 1947, during which time he encouraged the development of cooperative farms and of hydroelectric schemes. As leader of the United National Party he negotiated full independence from Britain in 1947, and the new constitution for Ceylon, of which he became Prime Minister. He was firmly committed to a multi-ethnic Ceylon, though he was unable to allay the fears of the Tamil minority against discrimination by the Sinhalese. He was killed in a riding accident and was succeeded by his son Dudley Senanayake, who was Prime Minister from 1952 to 1954 and again from 1965 to 1970.