Minister of Industries and Fisheries and served till 1970. He established the Industrial Development Board, strengthened and expanded state industrial corporations and national private sector industries, and planned the development of the fisheries sector with the formation of the Fisheries Corporation. Soviet aid he developed the Tyre Corporations and Steel Corporation. Last years He lost his parliamentary seat in the 1970 general election to Bonnie Jayasuriya of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. He started on a process of reorganizing the MEP before he fell ill, he died on 26 March 1972 at the age of 72 after a long illness. His seat was contested by his son Dinesh Gunawardena in the 1977 general election and lost to M. D. Premaratne from the United National Party. He finally entered parliament in 1983 from a by-election in Maharagama. Personal life Philip Gunawardena married Kusuma Amarasinha, in 1939, who later served as member of parliament from 1948–1960. They are parents to Indika Gunawardena former cabinet minister, Prasanna Gunawardena former mayor of Colombo, Lakmali Gunawardena state award winner of literature, Dinesh Gunawardena cabinet minister, and Gitanjana Gunawardena former minister. His niece was Vivienne Goonewardene, who married Leslie Goonewardene, another founder of the LSSP. His grandson Yadamini Gunawardena was appointed to parliament from the national list of the Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance. See also List of political families in Sri Lanka Ananda-Nalanda Notes External links Philip Gunawardena was a Great Politician Fifty years of the Paddy Lands Act of 1958 1901 births 1972 deaths Agriculture ministers of Sri Lanka Columbia University alumni Alumni of Ananda College Alumni of Prince of Wales' College, Moratuwa Escapees from British Ceylon detention Industries ministers of Sri Lanka Lanka Sama Samaja Party politicians Mahajana Eksath Peramuna politicians Marxist journalists Members of the 1st Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 3rd Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 4th Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 5th Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 6th Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 2nd State Council of Ceylon People of British Ceylon Prisoners and detainees of British Ceylon Sri Lankan independence activists Sri Lankan journalists Sri Lankan politicians convicted of crimes Sri Lankan prisoners and detainees Sri Lankan socialists Sri Lankan trade unionists Sri Lankan Trotskyists University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences alumni