James Aubrey Martensz
James Aubrey Martensz | |
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Member of the Ceylon Parliament for Burgher Community (appointed member) | |
In office November 1947 – January 1949 | |
Preceded by | seat created |
1st Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia | |
In office January 1949 – 1955 | |
Prime Minister | D. S. Senanayake |
Preceded by | position created |
Succeeded by | P. R. Gunasekera |
Personal details | |
Born | Colombo, Sri Lanka | 25 September 1885
Died | 26 March 1963 Canberra, Australia | (aged 77)
Nationality | Ceylonese |
Alma mater | Royal College, Colombo, Ceylon Law College |
Profession | lawyer, politician |
James Aubrey Martensz CBE, JP, UM (25 September 1885 – 26 March 1963) was a Ceylonese lawyer and politician.[1][2]
James Aubrey Martensz was born 25 September 1885, the oldest son, in a family of twelve, to James Andries Martensz (a planter) and Edith Maud née de Saram.[3] He received his education at Royal College, Colombo and then at the Ceylon Law College, where he qualified as a Proctor. Marthensz served for a number of years as the private secretary to Justice Wendt and in 1908 was admitted to the bar. He then joined the legal firm of F. J. & G. de Saram, eventually becoming a senior partner in the firm. He was created a Justice of the Peace and Unofficial magistrate.[4]
Following Ceylon's first parliamentary elections in 1947, Martensz was appointed as a member of the Ceylon House of Representatives. He was one of six members appointed by the Governor-General, to represent important interests which were not represented or inadequately represented in the House.[5] He officiated as Deputy Chairman of Committees between October 1947 and December 1948,[6] and on one occasion as Speaker of the House. He remained a member of parliament until January 1949, when he was appointed as Ceylon's first High Commissioner in Australia.[3][7][8]
In 1952, he was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire.[9] He subsequently became Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in 1952.[8]
In 1957 he was elected as president of the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon, a position in which he served until 1959.[10]
Martensz emigrated to Australia in 1959 and died in Canberra on 26 March 1963.
See also[]
- Sri Lankan Non Career Diplomats
References[]
- ^ "Hon. Martensz, James Aubrey, M.P." Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ Goonetilleke, T. V. (Ed) (1983). Members of the Legislatures of Sri Lanka, 1931-83: Record of Service. Parliament of Sri Lanka. p. 121.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- ^ a b "De Saram - Family #3126". RootsWeb. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ "Ceylon Today". 3 (3–12). Sri Lanka Prav̥tti Depārtamēntuva. 1954: 60–63. Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help) - ^ "62nd Anniversary of Independence". Daily News. 4 February 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ "Deputy Chairman of Committees". Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ "The Journal of the Dutch Burgher Union" (PDF). Dutch Burgher Union: 149. Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help) - ^ a b "Mission and Activities". The High Commission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ^ Ceylon list: "No. 39424". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1951. pp. 45–46.
- ^ "Journal of the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon". LXX. Dutch Burgher Union. January–December 2005: 4. Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help)
- 1885 births
- Alumni of Royal College, Colombo
- Alumni of Ceylon Law College
- Burgher lawyers
- Burgher politicians
- Sri Lankan Justices of the Peace and Unofficial magistrates
- Ceylonese proctors
- Ceylonese Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Deputy chairmen of committees of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
- Members of the 1st Parliament of Ceylon
- High Commissioners of Sri Lanka to Australia
- 1963 deaths
- Sri Lankan politician stubs
- Asian diplomat stubs