Ezlynn Deraniyagala

Ezlynn Isabel Améliè Deraniyagala (1908 – 1973) was a Sri Lankan lawyer and feminist, who was the first female barrister in the country.[2]

Ezlynn Deraniyagala
5th President of the International Alliance of Women
In office
1958–1964
Preceded byEster Graff
Succeeded byBegum Anwar Ahmed
Personal details
Born
Ezlynn Isabel Améliè Obeyesekere

1908
Died1973
NationalitySri Lankan
Spouse(s)Ralph St. Louis Pieris Deraniyagala
ChildrenRalph Senaka (son)[1]
Alma materHillwood College, St. Bridget's Convent, St Anne's College, Oxford
OccupationBarrister

Ezlynn Isabel Améliè Obeyesekere was born in 1908, the only daughter and second child of Forester Augustus Obeysekera, the speaker of the State Council of Ceylon and a member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon, and Anna Isabella née Sykes.[3] She attended Hillwood College, Kandy before finishing her secondary schooling at St. Bridget's Convent, Colombo.[3][4]

She then attended St Anne's College, Oxford,[5] where she was president of the Geldart Society.[3] In 1934 she obtained her degree and was called to the bar at the Inner Temple.[3]

In 1935 she was appointed as an Advocate in the Supreme Court of Ceylon, becoming the first female barrister in Ceylon.[3][6]

She married Ralph St. Louis Pieris Deraniyagala, a lawyer, who became the Clerk of Parliament[7] and was awarded an MBE in 1948.[8]

She was elected as the first President of the Ceylon Women Lawyers’ Association (1960-1961, 1966-1967).[9] Deraniyagala served as the long-time president of the All-Ceylon Women's Conference.[10][11] Deraniyagala served as the Vice President of the International Alliance of Women from 1952–1955, becoming its 5th president from 1958–1964, presided over the Alliance’s 19th Congress in Ireland in 1961 and its 20th congress in Italy in 1964.[9][12][13]

See also
  • First women lawyers around the world

References
  1. "Obituaries". The Daily News. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  2. "Sri Lanka's Female Firsts". Women.lk. Centre for Humanitarian Affairs. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  3. "Woman Barrister - Miss E. Obeyesekere to Practise in Ceylon". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 5 December 1934. p. 6. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  4. "Past Presidents". St Bridget's Convent Past Pupils Association. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  5. "Oxford University Calendar". Oxford University. 1948: 1053. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. Natesan, G. A., ed. (1935). "The Indian Review". 36. G. A. Natesan & Company: 208. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. "The Journal of the Society of Clerks at the Table in Commonwealth Parliaments". The Table. 25-28: 72. 1956.
  8. Ceylon list: "No. 38314". The London Gazette. 10 June 1948. pp. 3403–3404.
  9. "Our History - Sri Lanka Women Lawyers' Association". Sri Lanka Lawyers' Association. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  10. Stienstra, Deborah (2016). Women’s Movements and International Organizations. Springer. p. 87. ISBN 9781349234172.
  11. Jayawardena, Kumari. "Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World" (PDF). Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. "The International Woman Suffrage News - Centennial Edition" (PDF). International Alliance of Women. 2004: 12. Retrieved 28 February 2019. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. Boles, Janet K.; Hoeveler, Diane Long (2004). Historical Dictionary of Feminism. Scarecrow Press. p. 97. ISBN 9780810849464.


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