Education
Royal College, Colombo.
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Charles Lorensz
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He was a District Judge and was an Acting Queen's Advocate. Beginning his legal practice in 1849, he became a barrister at the Lincoln"s Inn in 1855. After serving as the District Judge of Chilaw in 1855, he went back to being a practicing lawyer
He was the first non-official member to claim and receive the right of introducing a private bill.
An advocate for local government, he played a major role in the establishment of the Colombo Municipal Council, the first municipality, of which he was one of the first elected members from 1860 to 1870. He resigned from the Legislative Council in 1864.
Lorensz was credited with being the architect of the currency ordinance which enacted that Ceylon should switch from the British currency to its own of rupees and for coining the term Ceylonese. He played a major role in the reform and development of education, the amendment and codification of the law, and the inauguration of the Ceylon Government Railway.
In 1859, Lorensz and a syndicate purchased the Examiner, which was renamed as the Ceylon Examiner, thus becoming the first Ceylonese newspaper, of which he was the managing editors
The Lorensz Scholarship is awarded at Royal College Colombo his old alma mater in his memory since 1876.
Achievements
Membership
He was a member of the Legislative Council. He was a member of the Royal Asiatic Society, Ceylon Branch. He was appointed as a Burger non-official member of Legislative Council of Ceylon from 1856 to 1864, as opposed to the official members, who held their seats in the council by virtue of their offices in government.
