D. P. Atapattu | |
|---|---|
| ඩී. පී. අතපත්තු டி. பி. அத்தபத்து | |
 Atapattu in 1966 | |
| Parliamentary Secretary to theCabinet Minister of State | |
| In office 1965–1970 | |
| Minister | J. R. Jayewardene |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of theCeylon Parliament forBeliatta | |
| In office 1965–1970 | |
| Preceded by | D. A. Rajapaksa |
| Succeeded by | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| In office March 1960 – July 1960 | |
| Preceded by | D. A. Rajapaksa |
| Succeeded by | D. A. Rajapaksa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Don Peter Atapattu (1899-09-17)17 September 1899 |
| Died | 14 December 1976(1976-12-14) (aged 77) Tangalle, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Ceylonese |
| Political party | United National Party |
| Spouse | Daya Dahanayake |
| Relations | Atapattu family Dr Karunasena Kodituwakku |
| Children |
|
| Parent(s) | Don Johannes Atapattu Kadawedduwage Dona Carolina Wijekoon |
| Alma mater | St. Thomas' College, Matara S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Ananda College |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Don Peter Atapattu[a] (17 September 1899 – 14 December 1976) was a Ceylonese politician andMember of Parliament (MP) who represented theBeliatta electorate inHambantota District from March 1960 to July 1960, and from 1965 to 1970. He was a founding member of theUnited National Party (UNP) and served as theParliamentary Secretary[b] to theCabinet Minister of State,J. R. Jayewardene.
Born inNakulugamuwa,Tangalle, Atapattu graduated fromAnanda College, Colombo, becoming one of theupper-school teachers in Mahabodhi College, Colombo. After beingcalled to the bar as a proctor to theSupreme Court of Ceylon, Atapattu was nominated as the UNP candidate for Beliatta at the general parliamentary elections in1947,1952,1956,March 1960,July 1960 and1965 againstD. A. Rajapaksa, winning the seat in two of the six elections.[3]
Don Peter Atapattu was born on 17 September 1899, in the village ofNakulugamuwa nearTangalle inHambantota District, to Don Johanis Atapattu[4] and a daughter of the Wijekoon family from Matara.[5] Don Johanis was the actingRegistrar of Births and Deaths for Nakulugamuwa in 1915 and in 1938 was awarded the title ofMuhandiram.[6][7] Don Peter had six younger brothers and one sister, Soma, who later became the mother-in-law ofKarunasena Kodituwakku.[8]
Atapattu was first educated at Gamini Maha Vidyalaya, Nakulugamuwa, then received higher education atSt. Thomas' College, Matara.[9] He then entered the prestigiousAnglican school,S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. His classics master,T. B. Jayah, found that Atapattu did not have the discipline expected by the then Warden, William Arthur Stone, so he suggested him to move toAnanda College, Colombo.[9] At Ananda, Atapattu was educated under the school's principal,Patrick de Silva Kularatne.[10]
After graduating from Ananda, in 1922, Atapattu enrolled as a law student.[11] He taught in various schools, including Mahabodhi College, Colombo,[12] where he was anupper-school teacher and was responsible for thestudents' safety drills and games during the 1922–23 school year.[13]
In 1919, Atapattu joined the pro-independence political partyCeylon National Congress (CNC), where he represented Tangalle inSouthern Province, British Ceylon.[14] He was interested by the harmony among the Sinhalese and Tamil leaders of the CNC, but became disillusioned when the Sinhalese leadersfought with the Tamil leaders over the reserving of the Colombo Town seat.[15]
In 1927, Atapattu wascalled to the bar as aproctor to theSupreme Court of Ceylon.[16] He then started his legal practice in theUnofficial Bar inTangalle.[17] While still in the Unofficial Bar, Atapattu married Daya Dahanayake in 1932.[18] They had two children,Ranjit and Indrani, the latter of whom later migrated to Australia.[19]
In 1944, following his success in enabling Tangalle to establishan Urban Council,[20] Atapattu was nominated as a candidate for the election of members of the Urban Council.[21] He was elected to the council and became its first Chairman in 1945.[19] Later, he was chosen by the thenAttorney General,Hema Henry Basnayake, as theCrown Proctor of Tangalle.[22]
In 1950, Atapattu was appointed as the Additional District Judge, Additional Magistrate and Additional Commissioner of Requests for Tangalle from 7 to 12 June, whileP. R. Gunasekera was away.[23]
WhenD. S. Senanayake formed theUnited National Party (UNP) in 1946,[24] many politicians, including Atapattu and D. A. Rajapaksa, joined it. The party's nominations board nominated Atapattu as a candidate for theBeliatta electorate in 1947.[25] Both Atapattu and Rajapaksa contested Beliatta at the six general parliamentary elections held between 1947 and 1965, but Rajapaksa left the UNP in 1951 to join theSri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP).[26]
Atapattu lost the1947 parliamentary elections, when Rajapaksa defeated him by a majority of 8,022 votes. At the1952 and1956 parliamentary elections, Rajapaksa won the seat with 17,382 and 26,215 votes, which was 3,632 and 15,335 votes more than Atapattu, respectively.[27]
At theMarch 1960 parliamentary elections, Atapattu won the Beliatta seat,[28] beating Rajapaksa who was now contesting it for theMahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP).[29] He became a Member of theHouse of Representatives for the electorate, serving the role until 23 April.[30] However, when the UNP government was dissolved due to not having a majority,[c] Atapattu's opponent re-contested the seat for the SLFP and regained it at theJuly 1960 parliamentary elections.[29]
At the1965 parliamentary elections, Atapattu won back the Beliatta seat.[32][33] He became theParliamentary Secretary to theCabinet Minister of State,J. R. Jayewardene, until 1970, when he resigned and retired from politics.[34]
In 1965, Atapattu led the Ceylonese delegation to that year'sCommonwealth Parliamentary Conference inWellington, New Zealand, with Clerk to theHouse of Representatives,Sam Wijesinha, serving as the delegation's Secretary.[35] He then assumed the role as the Acting Parliamentary Secretary to the thenMinister of Justice,A. F. Wijemanne, for a brief period of time in 1968. He appointed people to become Members of the Panel of Conciliators set inAgalawatta, Dandugamperuwa, and Palindanuwara.[36]
Atapattu died at Tangalle on 14 December 1976, following a prolonged illness.K. B. Ratnayake, then theMinister of Parliamentary Affairs and Sports, moved the vote of condolence and gave sympathy in Parliament six days later.[37]
D. P. Atapattu's son,Ranjit, was first elected to Parliament in1977, representing the UNP in the Beliatta electorate.[38] After resigning in 1983,[39] Ranjit was appointed Minister for the Colombo Group of Hospitals, then became theMinister of Health from 1982 to 1989.[40] He then served as theMinister of Labour and Social Welfare from 1989 to 1990.[41]
The Assistant Provincial Registrar, Hambantota, has appointed Don Johannes Atapattu to act as Registrar of Births and Deaths of Nakulugamuwa division [...]
To beMuhandirams. (Sinhalese and other Nationalities.) [...] 2. Don Johannes Atapattu. [...]
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