Arthur Ranasinghe
Sir Arthur Godwin Ranasinha, CMG, CBE, CCS was a Sri Lankan civil servant and statesmen. A Cabinet Minister and Senator, he had a long career in the Ceylon Civil Service and served as Secretary to the Treasury, Cabinet Secretary and Governor of the Central Bank of Ceylon. He had also served as Ceylon's Ambassador to Italy.
Having gained a BA from the University of London, he was appointed to the Ceylon Civil Service as a Cadet in January 1921 by the Secretary of State for the Colonies in London having being placed seventh in the Indian Civil Service admission exam. On his return to the island, he was attached to the Kegalle kachcheri and was attached to the Jaffna kachcheri in 1922 and was appointed Police Magistrate of Point Pedro in 1923. Promoted to Class 4 officer, he served as a Police Magistrate in Balapitiya and Jaffna. In 1928, he was Promoted to Class 3 officer and served as District Judge in Avissawella and Badulla. Promoted to Class 2 officer, he served as Additional Assistant Government Agent of Colombo before being appointed as Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture and Lands from 1933 to 1936 when he was appointed Public Trustee. During World War II he served as Custodian of enemy property. In 1944, he was promoted to class 1 officer and appointed Superintendent of Census and in 1945 Secretary to the Leader of the State Council on his mission to London. He also served as acting Commissioner of Lands. In 1947, he was appointed Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and acting Superintendent of Census. In 1950 he was appointed Cabinet Secretary and Deputy Secretary to the Treasury. In 1951, he was appointed Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Secretary to the Treasury and Secretary to the Cabinet. He also served as Secretary to the Cabinet Planning Committee and Chief Planning Commissioner. In 1954, he was appointed Governor of the Central Bank which he held until 1959.
He was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1948, a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1949 and knighted in 1954 as a Knight Bachelor.
