Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy | |
---|---|
முத்து குமாரசுவாமி | |
![]() | |
Unofficial Member (Tamil) Legislative Council of Ceylon | |
In office 1861–1879 | |
Preceded by | V. Edirmannasingham |
Succeeded by | P. Ramanathan |
Member of Colombo Municipal Council | |
In office 1868–1873 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Mutwal, Ceylon | 23 January 1834
Died | 4 May 1879 | (aged 45)
Children | Ananda Coomaraswamy |
Alma mater | Colombo Academy |
Profession | Lawyer |
Ethnicity | Ceylon Tamil |
Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy ( Tamil: முத்து குமாரசுவாமி; 23 January 1834 – 4 May 1879) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, writer and member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon.
Coomaraswamy was born on 23 January 1834 in Amaittodam, Mutwal in south western Ceylon. [1] [2] He was the son of Gate Mudaliyar A. Coomaraswamy and Visalachchi Ammaiyar. [1] [3] From 1842 to 1851 he was educated at Colombo Academy where he won the Turnour Prize in 1851. [1] [2] [4]
Coomaraswamy married Elizabeth Clay Beebe, daughter of William Beebe from Kent, in 1878. [1] [5] They had a son, Ananda Coomaraswamy, the eminent art critic. [1] [6]
After finishing school Coomaraswamy joined the Ceylon Civil Service as a cadet at the Colombo Kachcheri. [2] [4] He was appointed police magistrate and was known as the "boy magistrate". [7] He resigned from the civil service after a short period. [2] [7] He joined the legal profession as an apprentice under Richard Morgan. [2] He was called to the bar at the age of 22. [1]
Coomaraswamy was appointed to the Legislative Council of Ceylon in 1862 as the unofficial member representing Tamils, replacing V. Edirmannasingham. [2] He served on the Legislative Council until his death in 1879. [1] [2] He was a member of Colombo Municipal Council from March 1868 to February 1873. [8]
Coomaraswamy went on a tour of Europe in 1862 during which he was admitted as a member of Lincoln's Inn on 10 July 1862, the first non-Christian/Jew to be done so. [1] [3] [9] He practised law in London. [10] His English translation of the Tamil play Harischandra (Martyr of Truth) was published in 1863. [1] Coomaraswamy took on the leading role when the play was performed in front of Queen Victoria on 8 December 1863. [1] [11] He was elected an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts and was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Geological Society of London. [12] He was also a member of the Athenaeum Club. [12]
After returning to Ceylon Coomaraswamy resumed practising law at the Colombo Bar. [13] He undertook research into oriental folklore before going on a tour of India. [1] His translation of the Pali text Datavamsa, the story of the Sacred Tooth Relic, and Sutti Nipaata, the discourses of the Buddha, were published in 1874. [1]
In 1878 Coomaraswamy became the first Tamil knight after being made a knight of the Order of St Michael and St George by Queen Victoria at Osborne House. [1] [3] [14] [15] He died on 4 May 1879 of Bright's disease whilst preparing for another tour of England. [1] [16]
Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy | |
---|---|
முத்து குமாரசுவாமி | |
![]() | |
Unofficial Member (Tamil) Legislative Council of Ceylon | |
In office 1861–1879 | |
Preceded by | V. Edirmannasingham |
Succeeded by | P. Ramanathan |
Member of Colombo Municipal Council | |
In office 1868–1873 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Mutwal, Ceylon | 23 January 1834
Died | 4 May 1879 | (aged 45)
Children | Ananda Coomaraswamy |
Alma mater | Colombo Academy |
Profession | Lawyer |
Ethnicity | Ceylon Tamil |
Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy ( Tamil: முத்து குமாரசுவாமி; 23 January 1834 – 4 May 1879) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, writer and member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon.
Coomaraswamy was born on 23 January 1834 in Amaittodam, Mutwal in south western Ceylon. [1] [2] He was the son of Gate Mudaliyar A. Coomaraswamy and Visalachchi Ammaiyar. [1] [3] From 1842 to 1851 he was educated at Colombo Academy where he won the Turnour Prize in 1851. [1] [2] [4]
Coomaraswamy married Elizabeth Clay Beebe, daughter of William Beebe from Kent, in 1878. [1] [5] They had a son, Ananda Coomaraswamy, the eminent art critic. [1] [6]
After finishing school Coomaraswamy joined the Ceylon Civil Service as a cadet at the Colombo Kachcheri. [2] [4] He was appointed police magistrate and was known as the "boy magistrate". [7] He resigned from the civil service after a short period. [2] [7] He joined the legal profession as an apprentice under Richard Morgan. [2] He was called to the bar at the age of 22. [1]
Coomaraswamy was appointed to the Legislative Council of Ceylon in 1862 as the unofficial member representing Tamils, replacing V. Edirmannasingham. [2] He served on the Legislative Council until his death in 1879. [1] [2] He was a member of Colombo Municipal Council from March 1868 to February 1873. [8]
Coomaraswamy went on a tour of Europe in 1862 during which he was admitted as a member of Lincoln's Inn on 10 July 1862, the first non-Christian/Jew to be done so. [1] [3] [9] He practised law in London. [10] His English translation of the Tamil play Harischandra (Martyr of Truth) was published in 1863. [1] Coomaraswamy took on the leading role when the play was performed in front of Queen Victoria on 8 December 1863. [1] [11] He was elected an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts and was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Geological Society of London. [12] He was also a member of the Athenaeum Club. [12]
After returning to Ceylon Coomaraswamy resumed practising law at the Colombo Bar. [13] He undertook research into oriental folklore before going on a tour of India. [1] His translation of the Pali text Datavamsa, the story of the Sacred Tooth Relic, and Sutti Nipaata, the discourses of the Buddha, were published in 1874. [1]
In 1878 Coomaraswamy became the first Tamil knight after being made a knight of the Order of St Michael and St George by Queen Victoria at Osborne House. [1] [3] [14] [15] He died on 4 May 1879 of Bright's disease whilst preparing for another tour of England. [1] [16]