Succeeded by Nissanka Wijeratne Ethnicity Sri Lankan Tamil Religion Roman Catholic Died December 17, 2002 | Profession Lawyer Role Lawyer Preceded by P. Manicavasagam Name K. Devanayagam | |
Born 26 March 1910 ( 1910-03-26 ) Alma mater St. Joseph's College, Colombo
Ceylon Law College Education St. Joseph's College, Colombo | ||
Political party United National Party | ||
Deshamanya Kanapathipillai William Devanayagam (26 March 1910 – 17 December 2002; known as Bill Devanayagam) was a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, politician, government minister and Member of Parliament.
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Early life
Devanayagam was born on 26 March 1910. A Roman Catholic, Devanayagam was educated at St. Joseph's College, Colombo. A keen sportsman, he captained the school's cricket team in 1930 and was the East Ceylon champion in tennis. After school Devanayagam joined Ceylon Law College, qualifying as a proctor.
Career
Devanayagam practised law in Kalkudah, Batticaloa District for many years.
Devanayagam stood as an independent candidate for Kalkudah at the 1947 parliamentary election but was defeated by V. Nalliah. He contested the 1965 parliamentary election as a United National Party candidate. He won the election and entered Parliament. He was re-elected at the 1970 and 1977 parliamentary elections. He was appointed Minister of Justice in July 1977. He became Minister of Home Affairs in February 1980.
Devanayagam died on 17 December 2002.