Biography.guide
Home › People › Politician › H. W. Dissanayake
Portrait of H. W. Dissanayake

H. W. Dissanayake

1924 – 1985

Sri Lankan politician

Politician Politics
Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About H. W. Dissanayake

Lived 1924 – 1985 (aged 60–61). H. W. Dissanayake was a Sri Lankan politician and politics.

Henry William Dissanayake (3 February 1924 – 1985) was a Sri Lankan politician.

Henry William Dissanayake was born on 3 February 1924 and received his early education at the Yatalawatte Government School, and at Richmond College, Galle. In 1947 whilst at Richmond College he led the delegation of All-Ceylon Buddhist Students' Union before the Special Committee on Education. After finishing school Dissanayake entered the Government Clerical Service and was the secretary of the G.C.S.U. (Galle) from 1948 to 1950. As the March Election left neither party with a majority a subsequent election was held in July that year. At the July elections Dissanayake re-contested Hiniduma however this time for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was successful, receiving 48% (7,610) of the votes.

At the parliamentary elections in 1965 he was narrowly defeated by 542 votes by the United National Party candidate, Amarasiri. He successfully re-contested the seat at the 1970 elections, winning against rival Amarasiri by over 5,500 votes. He failed to hold the seat at the 8th Parliamentary election held in July 1977, losing to Amarasiri by 11,000 votes.

Dissanayake died in 1985. His wife, Malini, died in 2012.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Died
1985
Nationality
Education
Richmond College, Galle, Sri Lanka Law College
Also known as
Henry William Dissanayake

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped H. W. Dissanayake's

Frequently asked questions

Who was H. W. Dissanayake?

Sri Lankan politician

When was H. W. Dissanayake born?

H. W. Dissanayake was born on 3 February 1924.

When did H. W. Dissanayake die?

H. W. Dissanayake died in 1985.

What was H. W. Dissanayake's occupation?

H. W. Dissanayake was a politician and politics.

What nationality was H. W. Dissanayake?

H. W. Dissanayake was Sri Lankan.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: H. W. Dissanayake

· Wikidata: Q30013742

· DBpedia: H. W. Dissanayake

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). H. W. Dissanayake. https://biography.guide/h-w-dissanayake/

MLA: "H. W. Dissanayake." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/h-w-dissanayake/.

Chicago: "H. W. Dissanayake." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/h-w-dissanayake/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:12 UTC