Wilmot A. Perera

Wilmot Abraham Perera (1905–1973) was a Sri Lankan statesman and philanthropist. He was declared a National Hero in 1993. A member of parliament, he was Ceylon's first Ambassador to China.

Early life and education Born in Panadura to M. Abraham Perera, a wealthy landowner, widely known as the "Rubber King". His maternal grandparents were Jeramias Dias and Celestina Dias, who founded Visakha Vidyalaya. Perera was educated initially at St. John's College Panadura and later at the Royal College, Colombo.

Social service and philanthropy He became a planter, taking over the management of his family plantations. He became active in his home area, establishing the first rural development society in Raigam Korale. He went on to establish Sri Palee College in Horana, based on the Rabindranath Tagore's Shantiniketan in 1934. The foundation stone was laid by Tagore on 20 May 1934 on his last visit to Ceylon. The Sri Palee Trust was established by him to manage the lands gifted by him. After his death, part of this property comprising many buildings was donated to the University of Ceylon by his family, in his memory in 1976. This later became the Sri Palee Campus of the University of Colombo. He also served as the Chairman of the Commission for Higher Education.

Family He was married to Esme Perera Abeywardena, a grand daughter of the late Sir Charles Henry de Soysa, Sri Lanka's foremost Philanthropist. They had two children, a daughter Enoka and son Ajit.

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