in his stand against the government. He was President of the Ceylon National Congress in 1924. C. E. Corea's brother, Alfred Ernest, was a doctor and the youngest Victor Corea was a lawyer who achieved fame for leading a campaign (and going to jail) in 1922 to protest the Poll Tax on all males; he was the first President of the Ceylon Labour Union led by A. E. Goonesinha and was active in the Ceylon Labour Party. While being professionals and political activists, the Coreas were also important landowners. Death Charles Edward Bandaranaike Corea died in 1872 at an early age leaving his five young children in the care of his wife Henrietta, who was only 21 at the time of her husband's death. His eldest son was only six years old and his youngest son Victor was only a year old. The three sons became men of high standing in Chilaw taking into the legal profession and the medical profession. Charles Edgar Corea and Victor Corea entered politics and made their home-town Chilaw a place of fame when Mahatma Gandhi came to visit them in 1927. They were freedom fighters during the period when Sri Lanka was under British Rule and stood up where there was injustice. James Alfred Ernest Corea also brought fame upon the Corea's by becoming a respected Doctor and what was most remarkable about him was that he charged no fees for the poor. The two daughters of Charles Edward and his wife Henrietta, Agnes and Evangeline, married into wealthy families. Ancestry Charles Edward was a direct descendant of King Dominicus Corea, who was also known as Edirille Rala. He was given the two of the biggest kingdoms in Sri Lanka, Kotte and Sitawaka by Vimala Dharma Suriya, the King of Kandy. Domnicus Corea became a king in 1596 and a year later he was captured by the Portuguese forces and executed. He fought hard for and against the Portuguese who had invaded the island in 1505 and colonised Ceylon. See also Edirimanne Corea Family Union Ivan Corea Vernon Corea List of political families in Sri Lanka Mahatma Gandhi's visit to Chilaw, Sri Lanka Bibliography Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries and Resources By A.W. Wright A national hero is honoured in his home town By P. De Silva References Sinhalese lawyers 1872 deaths Year of birth unknown Charles Edward Bandaranaike