J. R. Jayewardene

Junius Richard Jayewardene was born on September 17, 1906, in Colombo into a prominent Ceylonese legal family. Educated at Royal College and Ceylon Law College, Jayewardene joined the Ceylon National Congress, fighting for independence from the British Empire alongside D. S. Senanayake.

At the 1951 San Francisco Peace Conference following World War II, Jayewardene delivered an immortal speech defending post-war Japan against Allied punitive reparations, famously quoting the Buddha: 'Hatred ceases not by hatred, but by love.' The speech moved delegates to tears and restored Japan's diplomatic dignity.

In 1977, as leader of the United National Party, Jayewardene won a sweeping parliamentary victory. He dismantled state socialist monopolies, opening South Asia's first liberalized market economy with free-trade zones and the massive Accelerated Mahaweli River hydro-irrigation project. He served as Executive President until 1989, passing away in Colombo on November 1, 1996.