Florence Senanayake

Daisy Maria Florence Senanayake (née Mendis) (19 June 1903 - 3 December 1988) was the first female Member of Parliament in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon).[1][2]

Hon.

Florence Senanayake
Member of the Ceylon Parliament
for Kiriella
In office
1947–1952
Preceded byseat created
Succeeded byA. E. B. Kiriella
Personal details
Born
Daisy Maria Florence Mendis

(1903-06-19)19 June 1903
Died3 December 1988(1988-12-03) (aged 85)
NationalitySri Lankan
Political partyLanka Sama Samaja Party
Spouse(s)Reginald S. Vincent Senanayke
RelationsK. E. Mendis (father)
ChildrenNimal, Laki, Daya, Evan, Rani, Lalitha
Alma materPrincess of Wales' College, Colombo
Occupationpolitician

Daisy Maria Florence Mendis was born on 19 June 1903 into a family of eight children in Rawatawatta, Moratuwa. Her father, K. E. Mendis, was a planter. She was educated at the Princess of Wales' College, Colombo.[3]

In 1925 she married Reginald S. Vincent Senanayke (1898-1946), a founding member of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and its treasurer between 1935 and 1939.[4]

Senanayake was elected in 1947 at the 1st Ceylonese parliamentary elections, as the member for Kiriella, representing the Lanka Sama Samaja Party.[5] She polled 5,535 votes (35.5% of the total vote) winning against a field of five other male candidates, with her nearest opponent, T. K. W. Chandrasekera, receiving 3,294 votes (21.1% of the total vote). Senanayake failed to retain the seat at the 2nd parliamentary elections in 1952, where she received 3,192 votes (15% of the total votes), with the successful candidate, A. E. B. Kiriella, polling 9,978 votes (48% of the total vote).[6]

References
  1. "Hon. Senanayake, Daisy Maria Florence (Mrs.), M.P." Directory of Past Members. Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  2. "First parliamentary elections". Sunday Times. 19 August 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  3. Wijesekera, Chitra (1995). Women in Our Legislature. Sarvodaya Vishva Lekha. pp. 48–50. ISBN 9789559579700.
  4. Ervin, Charles Wesley. "Glossary of People". Encyclopedia of Marxism. Marxists Internet Archive. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  5. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1947" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  6. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1952" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 10 August 2017.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.