Junius Richard Jayewardene (September 17, 1906 November 1, 1996) was a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the prime minister of Sri Lanka between 1977 and 1978. He then served as the president of Sri Lanka from 1978 until 1989. September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... A politician is an individual involved in politics. ... The following is a list of Sri Lankan Prime Ministers: Don Stephen Senanayake (February 4, 1948 - March 26, 1952) Dudley Shelton Senanayake (March 26, 1952 - October 12, 1953) John Lionel Kotalawela (October 12, 1953 - April 12, 1956) Solomon Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (April 12, 1956 - September 26, 1959) Vijayananda Dahanayake (September... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... The following is a list of Sri Lankan presidents. ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades after independence. In 1977, he became prime minister, and then president, of Sri Lanka.

J.R. Jayewardene, who was the eldest in a family of 11 children, was the son of a judge of the Ceylon Supreme Court, and JR, as he was often known in his country, became a lawyer after attaining a distinguished academic record in the Colombo Law College.

Jayewardene did not practice law for long, however. He became an activist in the Ceylon National Congress (CNC), which provided the organizational platform for Ceylon's nationalist movement (the island was officially renamed Sri Lanka in 1972).

Jayewardene was converted from Christianity to Buddhism in his youth. He joined the Ceylon National Congress in 1938, became its Joint Secretary in 1940, and was elected to the colonial legislature in 1943. After entering the United National Party on its formation in 1946, he became Finance Minister in the island’s first Cabinet in 1947. His acute intelligence and subtle, often aggressive political skills earned him leading roles in government (1947-1956 and 1965-1970) and in opposition (1956-1965 and 1970-1977). The United National Party (UNP, Sinhalese: එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය (pronounced Eksath Jathika Pakshaya), Tamil: ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி) is a political party in Sri Lanka. ...

He won a sweeping election victory in 1977 to become Prime Minister and, then, in 1978, when Sri Lanka adopted a presidential constitution — Executive President. He opened the heavily state-controlled economy to market forces, which many credit with subsequent economic growth. 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

He was re-elected President in 1982 after denying his main rival Sirimavo Bandaranaike the chance to stand against him, and had parliament’s life prolonged by six years in a questionable referendum that marked a further departure from the island’s democratic traditions. In 1983, some members of his Cabinet played a role in fomented severe rioting by members of the Sinhalese majority against the Tamil minority. This was one of the factors that triggered a civil war that still rages between Tamil Tiger insurgents and the government. His government also faced an insurgency by young, deprived Sinhalese in the form of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna group. Jayewardene retired from politics in 1988; his successor Ranasinghe Premadasa was formally inaugurated in January 1989. Sirimavo Bandaranaike a 3 time Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (April 17, 1916 - October 10, 2000) was a politician from Sri Lanka. ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Peoples Liberation Front (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna) is a Marxist Sri Lankan political party in Sri Lanka. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...